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

After the game ended with the Lakers stunning overtime victory, fans lined up to give him high-fives and cheer for him as his family descended a stairway. —Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026

And the flurry of Hudson Theatre high-fives is not the only time Radcliffe is quick on his feet. —Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026

Guess who has the most top-fives at COTA? —Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026

Under-fives eat free at the hotel's restaurants, while kids 6–12 get half-off meals, and dedicated kids' menus are available at Kiln & Tonic and Driftwood (the chefs at Sushi Migiwa and Teppanyaki Totsuji will create one upon request). —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Feb. 2026

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