five

noun

plural fives
1
: a number that is one more than four see Table of Numbers
2
fives plural : a British handball game
3
: the fifth in a set or series
the five of clubs
4
: something having five units or members
especially : a basketball team
5
: a 5-dollar bill
6
7
: a gesture in which two people slap each other's extended hands (as in greeting or celebration)
usually used in phrases with give or slap
So I slapped him five and hugged him.J. R. Burke
five adjective
five pronoun, plural in construction

see also high five, take five

Examples of five in a Sentence

I get off work at five. The store is open until five.
Recent Examples on the Web His technique was to re-pattern the bones, turn the sixes up, the fives aligned and facing each other. Krista Stevens, Longreads, 19 July 2023 The Raen Keera frames scored perfect fives across the board during testing thanks to their UVA and UVB protection and their sturdy and secure fit that doesn’t slip or pinch. Jaylyn Pruitt, Health, 14 June 2023 Duffels that scored fives for durability showed no signs of damage and kept the contents safe. Anna Popp, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2023 The Chicago White Sox rookie outfielder took matters into his own hands, giving high-fives to the air with a smile on his face. Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2023 The move reportedly excited the royals; particularly Prince George, 9, who jumped up to give high-fives to others in the box, per The Mirror. Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2023 Eventually, Van Lith finished up and gave high-fives to the managers working around her before heading into the tunnel as a pocket of Louisville fans cheered her on. Alexis Cubit, The Courier-Journal, 21 Mar. 2023 The back hallway inside Crypto.com Arena connecting the home and visiting locker rooms is often a lively place as staffers line up for the postgame food and players exchange high-fives with executives on their way out of the building. Andrew Greif, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2023 After the play, Conforto received high-fives from teammates in the San Francisco Giants dugout for his sacrifice fly and just had to speak up. John Shea, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'five.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from five, adjective, from Old English fīf; akin to Old High German finf five, Latin quinque, Greek pente

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of five was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near five

Cite this Entry

“Five.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/five. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

five

noun
1
: a number that is one more than four see number
2
: the fifth in a set or series
3
: something having five units or members
especially : a basketball team
4
: a 5-dollar bill
5
: a slapping of extended hands by two people (as in greeting or celebration)
I slapped him five after he scored
five adjective or pronoun

More from Merriam-Webster on five

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