back-to-back

1 of 2

adjective or adverb

ˈbak-tə-ˈbak 

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

Synonyms

Adjective or adverb

• consecutively
• hand running [dialect]
• running
• sequentially
• seriatim
• successionally
• successively
• together

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

Adjective or adverb

Stockpiling the kind of depth of talent that helped fuel Georgia’s back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022 and Nick Saban’s decade of dominance at Alabama has never been harder. —David Ubben, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025

But back-to-back 3s by Aberdeen and Will Richard pushed to advantage to 18-6. —Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2025

During his first two seasons with the Jets, Ryan led the team to back-to-back AFC championship game appearances. —Antwan Staley, Sun Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2025

In 2021, more than 100 people died as the state's power grid failed during back-to-back ice storms. —Julia Reinstein, ABC News, 8 Jan. 2025

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