MOVE BACK AND FORTH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does move back and forth mean? 

• MOVE BACK AND FORTH (verb)
  The verb MOVE BACK AND FORTH has 1 sense:

1. move in one direction and then into the opposite direction

  Familiarity information: MOVE BACK AND FORTH used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MOVE BACK AND FORTH (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Move in one direction and then into the opposite direction

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "move back and forth" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "move back and forth"):

rock; shake; sway (move back and forth or sideways)

sway; swing (move or walk in a swinging or swaying manner)

flicker; flitter; flutter; quiver; waver (move back and forth very rapidly)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

 Context examples 

They move back and forth between marine and freshwater ecosystems to rebalance their salt levels — and to feed.

(Alligators, rulers of the swamps, link marine and freshwater ecosystems, NSF)