back to back

adverb

1. (of two similar events) following one immediately after the other; in unbroken sequence; consecutively:

   After losing all day, he picked winners back to back in the last two races.

adjective

1. adjacent or contiguous but oppositely oriented; having the backs close together or adjoining:

   The seats in the day coach are back to back.

2. Stud Poker. (of a pair) consisting of the hole card and the first upcard:

   He had aces back to back.

back-to-back

adjective

1. facing in opposite directions, often with the backs touching
2. (of urban houses) built so that their backs are joined or separated only by a narrow alley
3. informal.
   consecutive
4. commerce
   1. denoting a credit arrangement in which a finance house acts as an intermediary to conceal the identity of the seller from the buyer
   2. denoting a loan from one company to another in a different country using a finance house to provide the loan but not the funding

noun

1. a house or terrace built in back-to-back style

Word History and Origins

Origin of back to back¹

First recorded in 1450–1500

Related Words

• later