back to back
Americanadverb
adjective
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adjacent or contiguous but oppositely oriented; having the backs close together or adjoining.
The seats in the day coach are back to back.
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Stud Poker. (of a pair) consisting of the hole card and the first upcard.
He had aces back to back.
adjective
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facing in opposite directions, often with the backs touching
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(of urban houses) built so that their backs are joined or separated only by a narrow alley
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informal consecutive
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commerce
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denoting a credit arrangement in which a finance house acts as an intermediary to conceal the identity of the seller from the buyer
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denoting a loan from one company to another in a different country using a finance house to provide the loan but not the funding
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noun
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With backs close together or touching, as in In the first and second rows of the bus, the seats were back to back, an unusual arrangement . This term also can be applied to persons who stand facing in opposite directions and with their backs touching. [Mid-1800s]
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Consecutively, one after another, as in I'm exhausted; I had three meetings back to back . [Mid-1900s]
Etymology
Origin of back to back
First recorded in 1450–1500
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For the first time since his comeback to the tour, he will now have to play matches on back to back days.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
The Compton-born rapper is one of only four acts in Grammy history who’ve gone back to back in record of the year, along with Billie Eilish, U2 and Roberta Flack.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2026
One of the demos was on the 2008 issue, but the impact of hearing the two of these back to back is simply stunning.
From Salon • Dec. 9, 2025
The streak began in August with a bullish engulfing candle and occurred just after back to back bullish morning stars were completed in February and June.
From Barron's • Dec. 4, 2025
Sitting back to back and watching the road.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.