take five

idiomatic 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 The uncrewed spacecraft departed from the station at 6:04 p.m. ET in a process that took five minutes to complete. —

Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2024 The agency cited instances of patients who were unfamiliar with how to measure doses with a syringe, and health-care providers calculating incorrect doses by mixing up metric conversions, resulting in patients taking five to 10 times more than intended. —

Mckenzie Beard, Washington Post, 29 July 2024 The photos were chosen from hundreds of images captured by the lander's cameras, which were programmed to take five images every five minutes for the first two hours after separating from the SpaceX's rocket's second stage. —

Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 25 June 2024 The collection took five years to develop, between the brand’s goals for the packaging and the overall experience of using the formula. —

Jesa Marie Calaor, Allure, 15 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for take five

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