five

noun

ˈfīv 

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

: fifteen sense 2

7

: a gesture in which two people slap each other's extended hands (as in greeting or celebration)

—usually used in the phrases give one five or slap one five

… Ayton stood up and gave him five in celebration.

—Duane Rankin

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

Facing more back fives and low blocks means Palace have relied on back-post crosses from the half-space more, either by Pino or Guehi. —Liam Tharme, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025

Majeski doesn’t have a win in 2025, riding to the Championship 4 with nine top-fives and 17 top-10s. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025

Head coach Joe Mazzulla has not settled on a preferred lineup, rolling out three different starting fives in four games and making substantial changes to his rotation from night to night. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 28 Oct. 2025

Viral video of the incident shows Eilish leaving the stage and exchanging high-fives with fans when someone grabs her arm and tires to yank her into the crowd. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2025

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

Phrases Containing five

• best (out) of three/five/seven
• five-and-dime
• five-and-ten
• five-card stud
• five-finger
• five-hole
• five-o'clock shadow
• five of a kind
• five-spice powder
• five-star
• forty-five
• high five
• hit the big five-oh
• nine-to-five job
• take five

Rhymes for five

• dive
• drive
• hive
• jive
• live
• strive
• thrive
• alive
• archive
• arrive
• beehive
• connive

Kids Definition

five

noun

ˈfīv 

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