Jump To:

• back to back
  back to back

  adverb

  (of two similar events) following one immediately after the other; in unbroken sequence; consecutively.
• back-to-back
  back-to-back

  adjective

  facing in opposite directions, often with the backs touching

back to back

American  

adverb

1. (of two similar events) following one immediately after the other; in unbroken sequence; consecutively.

   After losing all day, he picked winners back to back in the last two races.

---

adjective

1. adjacent or contiguous but oppositely oriented; having the backs close together or adjoining.

   The seats in the day coach are back to back.

2. 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

1. facing in opposite directions, often with the backs touching

2. (of urban houses) built so that their backs are joined or separated only by a narrow alley

3. informal consecutive

4. commerce

   1. denoting a credit arrangement in which a finance house acts as an intermediary to conceal the identity of the seller from the buyer

   2. denoting a loan from one company to another in a different country using a finance house to provide the loan but not the funding

---

noun

1. a house or terrace built in back-to-back style

back to back Idioms  

1. 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]

2. 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

See Examples For:

back to back back-to-back

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

“You have to understand camera composition, which shots are changed. Like you can’t have two close-ups back to back, you have to start with an establishing shot,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

Try doing it for six shows back to back.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026

Bath's wait for another trophy in this competition will stretch to 29 years, while reigning champions Bordeaux earn the chance to go back to back against Leinster in three weeks' time.

From BBC ● May 3, 2026

Hazel and Frank stood back to back with Percy, their weapons ready.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

But the mood has shifted from the euphoria that felt tangible when the Nasdaq was notching back-to-back records early this summer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

McIlroy, who finished the PGA Tour play-offs with back-to-back top-four finishes, begins his title defence at 13:35 BST on Thursday.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Lauer’s start Tuesday began to go downhill in the second inning when he gave up back-to-back solo homers to Ramón Urias and Thomas Saggese with two outs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

However, despite a promising start, Fery gifted his opponent the breakthrough with back-to-back double faults, before losing serve again to concede the first set.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

The detectives stood back-to-back over Arm, but only Ear had ammunition.

From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer

Related Words

• later