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• 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.

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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

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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]

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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

“Play it back to back and actually start understanding the sound more and realize there’s new sounds being created,” said lead vocalist Geovanni Flores.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 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

Hampshire have three more back to back - starting at home to Glamorgan on Friday - before England's first Test of the summer.

From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026

She works three jobs back to back, sleeping only during the dew-damp hours before dawn.

From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na

McIlroy has previously played golf with Trump, who earlier this year praised the Northern Irishman's accomplishments on the course after winning back-to-back Masters titles.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

McIlroy has previously played golf with Trump, who earlier this year hailed his achievements after the Northern Irishman won back-to-back US Masters titles.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Market participants are eyeing potential back-to-back Bank of Japan interest-rate increases in September and October, following hawkish remarks from board member Hajime Takata last week, she says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 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

His two children with Alicia came back-to-back, born in 1992 and 1993; his children with Cheryl came in the same fashion, born in 1995 and 1996.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore

Related Words

• later