this way and that
idiom
: in many different directions
The rabbit ran this way and that, trying not to get caught.
Examples of this way and that in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Vibrations and torques exerted by altitude-control thrusters, plus the pressure of solar radiation on the massive sail-like arrays, will continually bend and twist the station this way and that.
—
IEEE Spectrum, 9 May 2024
Know the difference between a helpful wind beneath your wings and a tornado of whims blowing you this way and that.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 3 May 2024
Tiny rooftop shapes going this way and that, indicating direction.
—Ellise Pierce, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Jan. 2024
Comets, though, emit gas that can act like rocket motors, pushing the nucleus this way and that.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 20 Apr. 2010
Here, the composer counted years, 20 for Disney, with a sequence of 20 chords, used in various sequences, this way and that, and as palindromes.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2023
Moments later Richardson, 28, struts in with a new look, tossing back her golden-brown locks and tilting her head this way and that, considering her image in an oversize wooden mirror.
—Danielle Bacher, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023
Beyond that, though, Djokovic was as reliable as a metronome, anticipating nearly everything headed his way and scurrying this way and that to retrieve and respond.
—Howard Fendrich, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2023
Diamond’s voice echoes in Samba to the Reckoning, each letter of the title rendered in arabesques, swaying this way and that, like a ballerina in time.
—Angelica Aboulhosn, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Sep. 2023
IEEE Spectrum, 9 May 2024
Know the difference between a helpful wind beneath your wings and a tornado of whims blowing you this way and that.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 3 May 2024
Tiny rooftop shapes going this way and that, indicating direction.
—Ellise Pierce, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Jan. 2024
Comets, though, emit gas that can act like rocket motors, pushing the nucleus this way and that.
—Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 20 Apr. 2010
Here, the composer counted years, 20 for Disney, with a sequence of 20 chords, used in various sequences, this way and that, and as palindromes.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2023
Moments later Richardson, 28, struts in with a new look, tossing back her golden-brown locks and tilting her head this way and that, considering her image in an oversize wooden mirror.
—Danielle Bacher, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023
Beyond that, though, Djokovic was as reliable as a metronome, anticipating nearly everything headed his way and scurrying this way and that to retrieve and respond.
—Howard Fendrich, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2023
Diamond’s voice echoes in Samba to the Reckoning, each letter of the title rendered in arabesques, swaying this way and that, like a ballerina in time.
—Angelica Aboulhosn, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'this way and that.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“This way and that.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/this%20way%20and%20that. Accessed 31 May. 2024.
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