back-to-back
1 of 2adjective or adverb
1
: facing in opposite directions and often touching
2
: coming one after the other : consecutive
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
Geoffrey Moorhouse2
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
Jack McCallumSynonyms
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 WebBob Sorokanich, Robb Report, 14 May 2024
Thinking back-to-back The American Association has not had a back-to-back champion since the 2016 and 2017 campaigns.
—Cal Friedman, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2024
The past few teams to draft back-to-back No. 1 picks have all won titles within a few years.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 14 May 2024
After his departure, Penske won back-to-back Series titles with Joey Logano in 2022 and Ryan Blaney in 2023.
—Lou Bezjak, Charlotte Observer, 13 May 2024
Today’s top stories Health, climate and environment Lake Tahoe is expected to fill up for the first time in five years, thanks to the state’s notably wetter back-to-back winters.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2024
During the week, fans speculated that Cabello may be the special guest for Del Rey on Weekend Two after Del Rey posted photos of Eilish and Cabello back-to-back on Instagram, seemingly hinting at her guests.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2024
Snell recorded the first two outs, then gave up back-to-back singles before Randal Grichuk doubled to score two more and put Arizona ahead, 5-1.
—Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024
Sacramento battled back to cut the deficit to eight following back-to-back 3-pointers from Fox and Davion Mitchell.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 20 Apr. 2024
Adjective or adverb
After some early developmental troubles, the 917 became a dominant endurance racer, winning the 24 Hours of Daytona, the Monza 1,000km, the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 km, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans back-to-back in 1970 and 1971.
—Bob Sorokanich, Robb Report, 14 May 2024
Thinking back-to-back The American Association has not had a back-to-back champion since the 2016 and 2017 campaigns.
—Cal Friedman, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2024
The past few teams to draft back-to-back No. 1 picks have all won titles within a few years.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 14 May 2024
After his departure, Penske won back-to-back Series titles with Joey Logano in 2022 and Ryan Blaney in 2023.
—Lou Bezjak, Charlotte Observer, 13 May 2024
Today’s top stories Health, climate and environment Lake Tahoe is expected to fill up for the first time in five years, thanks to the state’s notably wetter back-to-back winters.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2024
During the week, fans speculated that Cabello may be the special guest for Del Rey on Weekend Two after Del Rey posted photos of Eilish and Cabello back-to-back on Instagram, seemingly hinting at her guests.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2024
Snell recorded the first two outs, then gave up back-to-back singles before Randal Grichuk doubled to score two more and put Arizona ahead, 5-1.
—Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024
Sacramento battled back to cut the deficit to eight following back-to-back 3-pointers from Fox and Davion Mitchell.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 20 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'back-to-back.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 17 May. 2024.
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