If someone goes to hell and back, they have a terrible experience. We've been to hell and back but the love of this little boy has kept us going. Note: You can also say that someone has been through hell and back. I've been through hell and back but this is the best day of my life. Note: This expression is varied a lot. For example, you can talk about someone's trip or journey to hell and back, or say that someone has been taken to hell and back. But after his journey to hell and back, he's philosophical about the whole experience. For the last 10 months my family and I have been taken to hell and back but we always believed justice would prevail.