back-to-back

1 of 2

adjective or adverb

Synonyms of back-to-backnext
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 of back-to-back

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
Up next Following an off day on Monday, the Giants will welcome the back-to-back reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers to Oracle Park for a three-game set. Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2026 With a 9-6 loss Sunday at Coors Field, the two-time defending World Series champions lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026 For the last three decades, no team has ever selected the last two picks of the draft back-to-back. Luca Evans, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026 The back-to-back losses this weekend at Coors Field are the Dodgers’ first consecutive defeats of the season. Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026 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 26 Apr. 2026.

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