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
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Adjective or adverb
Dow notches fourth straight day of losses U.S. markets fell on Tuesday as the S&P 500 lost 0.3% and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.25%, with both indexes notching back-to-back losses. Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2024 Sophomore forward Taji Alexa, also playing in her first varsity game against Marist, led McAuley (6-3) with 18 points, including back-to-back baskets on layups off steals to open the second half. Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 10 Dec. 2024 Grief is for People, Sloane Crosley In 2019, twin crises hit Sloane Crosley back-to-back. Annabel Gutterman, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024 The film was shot back-to-back with yet another sequel, 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Dec. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near back-to-back

Cite this Entry

“Back-to-back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back-to-back. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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