back to back
adverb
(of two similar events) following one immediately after the other; in unbroken sequence; consecutively.
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back to back
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back-to-back
back-to-backadjectivefacing in opposite directions, often with the backs touching
back to back
Americanadverb
adjective
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adjacent or contiguous but oppositely oriented; having the backs close together or adjoining.
The seats in the day coach are back to back.
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Stud Poker. (of a pair) consisting of the hole card and the first upcard.
He had aces back to back.
back-to-back
British
adjective
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facing in opposite directions, often with the backs touching
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(of urban houses) built so that their backs are joined or separated only by a narrow alley
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informal consecutive
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commerce
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denoting a credit arrangement in which a finance house acts as an intermediary to conceal the identity of the seller from the buyer
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denoting a loan from one company to another in a different country using a finance house to provide the loan but not the funding
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noun
back to back
Idioms
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With backs close together or touching, as in In the first and second rows of the bus, the seats were back to back, an unusual arrangement . This term also can be applied to persons who stand facing in opposite directions and with their backs touching. [Mid-1800s]
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Consecutively, one after another, as in I'm exhausted; I had three meetings back to back . [Mid-1900s]
Etymology
Origin of back to back
First recorded in 1450–1500
Explanation
Back-to-back things come right after each other. Two back-to-back baseball games are played in a row. Back-to-back has been used to describe houses that are literally back-to-back with no separation. These days, back-to-back events happen consecutively. A baseball player with back-to-back home runs hit two in a row. A President with back-to-back victories won two elections in a row. There's no separation between back-to-back things, like how if your back was pressed against someone else’s back, nothing could fit in between. Sometimes people use the term back-to-back-to-back for things that happen three times in a row.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
This club has won back to back NFC Easts and delivered a title just two seasons ago, but remains dogged by underachiever vibes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
And even ‘The Four Seasons,’ when that came along, I had been going back to back with dramatic roles — ‘Sing Sing,’ ‘The Color Purple,’ ‘Rustin.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
And after playing these two characters back to back, what have you sort of learned yourself, about your power or finding your voice, especially in an industry like Hollywood?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
El Niño and La Niña often alternate, but sometimes we can have two of the same event back to back.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
There would be ninety-six tanks to each oval, each holding two calutrons back to back, designed to beam uranium ions in 180-degree arcs four feet in radius from source to collector.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Kim hosted Xi in Pyongyang in June, soon after Xi held back-to-back summits in Beijing with Trump and Putin.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
Kim hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping in Pyongyang in June, soon after Xi held back-to-back summits in Beijing with Trump and Putin.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
Having led the Lionesses to back-to-back European titles and the 2023 World Cup final, many expected Wiegman to leave after next summer's tournament in Brazil in search of a new challenge.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
The Cincinnati Bengals drafted quarterback Joe Burrow and wideout Ja’Marr Chase out of LSU with first-round picks in back-to-back years, and they’ve been one of the NFL’s most effective tandems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
This time, my dilemma was the result not of failure, but of success—my back-to-back all-around wins at the 2013 and 2014 Worlds, which had brought sponsors to my door.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
