from A to B

UK/fɹəm ˈeɪ tə ˈbiː/US/fɹəm ˈeɪ ɾə ˈbiː/

prepositional phrase

From one point to the next; from the beginning of a trip to the end.

“My car’s still O.K.: it gets me from A to B.”

Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. From one point to the next; from the beginning of a trip to the end.

    My car’s still O.K.: it gets me from A to B.

    4 more examples

    While in our actual world we identify architecture with elements related by permanent relations, in virtual worlds space is a constant function of time. For example, if I have to ascend a stair to get from A to B, I will not necessarily have to descend to get back from B to A. Virtual spaces can hold many surprises.

    1997, Daniela Bertol, David Foell, “A Few Hypotheses for Reconstructed Architecture”, in Designing Digital Space: An Architect’s Guide to Virtual Reality, New York, N.Y.; Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 303

    At Leap we have found that, when working with a large group, it is not appropriate to create a traditional play with a story that follows one central character from A to B. Instead, we create a piece of theatre that can employ a large cast, follow several characters' stories in parallel and draw on several styles, especially popular forms.

    1999, Sara Clifford, Anna Herrmann, “Unit Three: Devising the Show”, in Making a Leap – Theatre of Empowerment: A Practical Handbook of Drama and Theatre Work with Young People, London; Philadelphia, Pa.: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, →ISBN, page 133

    It is a journey travelled both by individuals and by societies made up of those individuals. It is not, however, a simple journey, a progression from A to B, starting with the soul and ending at the self.

    1999, M. James C. Crabbe, “Preface”, in M. James C. Crabbe, editor, From Soul to Self, London; New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page x

    The zombie scenes are reminiscent of what you might see on a show like The Walking Dead, short bursts of extreme violence and gore punctuating expository dialogue scenes where the survivors try to figure out how they’re going to get from point A to point B.

    [2017 February 23, Katie Rife, “The Girl With All The Gifts tries to put a fresh spin on overripe zombie clichés”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 10 Sep 2017

Origin

Possibly from the common practice of labelling points using letters of the alphabet, and then referring to motion from one point to another as “from A to B”, and so on.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

German von A nach B
  • von A nach BTranslations
Norwegian Bokmål fra A til B
  • fra A til BTranslations
Polish od A do Z
  • od A do ZTranslations
Swedish från A till B
  • från A till BTranslations
Turkish A'dan B'ye
  • A'dan B'yeTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

from A to B. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/from%20A%20to%20B

MLA

“from A to B.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/from%20A%20to%20B. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “from A to B,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/from%20A%20to%20B.

Source: from A to B on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.