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
Northwestern is coming off back-to-back losses and closes its regular season hosting Nebraska on March 2. Alex Andrejev, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025 Arminia suffered back-to-back relegations in 2022 and 2023 to find themselves in the third division and then almost got relegated once again last year. Manuel Veth, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025 Listen to this article The UConn men’s basketball program set the bar incredibly high with its back-to-back national championship seasons. Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 26 Feb. 2025 After two back-to-back above-average snowpack years, most reservoirs have recovered after their water levels plunged during a yearslong drought. Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 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 10 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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