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{%type%} Definitions

WordNet 3.0Copyright Princeton University
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Short "hint"

to go back and forth, as in running errands or visiting; to work in an aimless or ineffective way; expend effort with little result; from side to side; to and fro; from one to the other

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Usage examples (34)
  • The back-and-forth spat is highly entertaining to watch.
  • At first this choppy, back-and-forth narrative seems irritating.
  • That balance will shift back-and-forth with changing circumstances.
  • The bear batted the salmon filet back-and-forth between two big paws.
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The Open Dictionary of English is a collaborative project, based on Open Source materials, LearnThat resources, and partner APIs.
We give special thanks to our LearnThat volunteers, as well as Princeton University and Wiktionary for their Open Source word data. We're also grateful for the support given by Google, Wordnik.com, Dictionary.com, Stands4.com and YouTube, OEDILF.com, Kylescholz.com, Best-Practice.com, Forvo.com, as well as the generous Creative Commons community.