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Synonyms

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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

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.

“It’s unusual to see two severe seasons back to back.”

From MarketWatch

Netflix stock is 29% off its most recent 52-week high, and shares have not scored back to back winning streaks in three months.

From Barron's

One of the demos was on the 2008 issue, but the impact of hearing the two of these back to back is simply stunning.

From Salon

The streak began in August with a bullish engulfing candle and occurred just after back to back bullish morning stars were completed in February and June.

From Barron's

Tesla is sitting at $400, but is looking at back to back 6% weekly losses.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.