take five

phrase

variants or take ten

US, informal

: to take a brief break (as from work)

They're locked in a fierce debate over the last scene of their film … when camp director and Hollywood veteran Sam Dalton finally orders them to take five.

—Megan Myers

Parry Aftab, the executive director of WiredSafety.org, offers these tips for dealing with troubling messages. … Take five. Instead of replying to a message that upsets you, step away and do something you enjoy for five minutes.

—Nicole Iorio

I could see his anger had nearly boiled over. … Coach Colby, who ran the defense, was the brave soul who stepped in. "Take ten," he said, placing a hand on Orlando's chest. "Cool off. Then suit up and meet at the fifty-yard line. Got it?"

—Brandon Terrell

Examples of take five in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In contrast, Chinese authorities took five days to disclose that the 261 foreigners missing in Tibet come from 23 countries. — Jennifer Pak, NPR, 7 Sep. 2026

Works took five years and cost more than 50 million euros ($58 million). — ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026

Production took five years, with a budget among the largest in Japanese animation history at that point. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026

If the Cowboys take five receivers, the coaching staff has an incredibly difficult decision on their hands on whether to take Mingo or Brown. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for take five

• overdrive
• alive
• archive
• arrive
• beehive
• connive
• contrive
• deprive
• derive
• khedive
• revive
• survive