back-to-back

1 of 2

adjective or adverb

1
: facing in opposite directions and often touching
2
: coming one after the other : consecutive

back-to-back

2 of 2

noun

plural back-to-backs
1
British : a house that is connected in a row with other houses on each side and with a similar row of houses behind it
These were where the millworkers dwelt, the worst of them known as back-to-backs because that is how they were built, without intervening space.Geoffrey Moorhouse
2
sports : a sequence of two games scheduled to be played on consecutive days
Miami began to beat elite teams and was bloodlessly efficient in the second half of back-to-backs, winning 11 in a row over a three-month stretch, a sign of a team with toughness.Jack McCallum

Examples of back-to-back in a Sentence

Adjective or adverb the three movies in the series were filmed back-to-back so that the cast members wouldn't age visibly on screen the new governor was soon facing several back-to-back crises
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective or adverb
After her back-to-back wins, Diaz-Twine played the game two more times — in season 34’s Game Changers in 2016 and 2020’s Winners at War — and appeared as a mentor alongside Mariano on 2019’s Island of the Idols. Ale Russian, People.com, 22 May 2025 Roddick pointed to Dominic Thiem, who has lost back-to-back French Open finals and before that one semifinal to Nadal, who finished with 14 Roland Garros titles. Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025 The Sun missed back-to-back 3-pointers to open the second half, and Loyd continued to dominate hitting her fifth of the game. Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 21 May 2025 That includes a 4-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators in Round 1 before back-to-back 6-1 losses to Florida, sandwiched around a huge season-extending Game 6 win on the road. Chris Johnston, New York Times, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for back-to-back

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective Or Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1940, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of back-to-back was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Back-to-back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back-to-back. Accessed 25 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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