five years in a row

USAGE SUMMARY

"five years in a row" is correct and can be used in written English.
You can use it to refer to something that has happened for five consecutive years. For example, "John has won the award for best salesman five years in a row."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Sports

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

59 human-written examples

Arnie had already won this five years in a row.

The Guardian

He won Kansas City's sprint triathlon five years in a row.

The New Yorker

The Philadelphia Phillies have won the division five years in a row.

The New York Times - Sports

INTERNATIONAL AID  After falling for five years in a row, official aid rose in 1998.

The Economist

Before that, he had been to the world championships five years in a row.

The New York Times - Sports

"Five years in a row, I win coin toss, I always like to return.

The New York Times - Sports

For five years in a row, hedge-fund returns have trailed the stock market.

The New Yorker

Named tennisreporters.net's "sexiest player of the year" five years in a row.

Independent

It's not easy to do that for four, five years in a row".

The Guardian - Sport

Yet the like-for-like sales line has gone backwards for five years in a row.

The Guardian - Business

But I have a chance to win five years in a row.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "five years in a row" to emphasize a continuous streak or achievement over a specific period. It's effective for highlighting consistency and repeated success.

Common error

Ensure the timeframe is clear. Avoid using "five years in a row" if the start or end date is ambiguous, as this can confuse the reader. Always provide context for clarity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "five years in a row" functions as an adverbial phrase, modifying a verb or clause to indicate the duration and consecutiveness of an action or event. It describes how long and how often something has occurred, emphasizing the continuous nature of the event, and is often found in contexts highlighting achievements or trends, as illustrated in Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

57%

Formal & Business

18%

Wiki

7%

Less common in

Sports

10%

Huffington Post

5%

The Economist

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "five years in a row" is a common and grammatically correct adverbial phrase used to emphasize the consecutive occurrence of an event over a five-year period. Ludwig AI confirms its validity and widespread usage. It's most frequently found in news and media contexts, as well as in formal business settings. While generally neutral in register, more formal alternatives exist for strictly professional writing. When using this phrase, ensure the timeframe is clear to avoid ambiguity and leverage its strength to highlight consistency and repeated success.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

for five consecutive years

Replaces "in a row" with "consecutive years", emphasizing the uninterrupted sequence.

five straight years

Uses "straight" instead of "in a row" to indicate consecutiveness.

five years running

Employs "running" to suggest a continuous streak.

five successive years

Substitutes "in a row" with the more formal "successive years".

each of the last five years

Highlights the individual years within the five-year period.

over the past five years consecutively

Combines "past five years" with "consecutively" for emphasis.

during the preceding five years continuously

Uses more formal language to indicate an unbroken sequence over the specified period.

for a five-year streak

Rephrases the concept as achieving a "streak" lasting five years.

in each of the prior five years

Similar to 'each of the last five years' but uses 'prior' for a slightly different tone.

annually for the previous five years

Focuses on the annual recurrence over the five-year period.

FAQs

How can I use "five years in a row" in a sentence?

Use "five years in a row" to describe an event or achievement that has occurred consecutively for five years. For instance, "The company has increased its profits "five years in a row"".

What can I say instead of "five years in a row"?

You can use alternatives like "for five consecutive years", "five straight years", or "five years running", depending on the context.

Is it correct to say "for five years straight" instead of "five years in a row"?

Yes, "for five years straight" is a valid alternative. It conveys the same meaning of consecutiveness, similar to "five straight years".

What’s the difference between "five years in a row" and "in the past five years"?

"Five years in a row" indicates a consecutive sequence, while "in the past five years" refers to a period without necessarily implying consecutiveness. For example, someone might have won an award "five years in a row", meaning each year consecutively. In contrast, they might have won it three times "in the past five years", which doesn't imply consecutive wins.