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
Megan MyersParry 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
Nicole IorioI 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
Brandon TerrellExamples of take five in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But connecting a new project currently takes five years — too late to hit that narrow window.
—Mike O’Boyle, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Most college kids — normal college students — take five years now to graduate.
—Brendan Marks, New York Times, 25 July 2025
Fritz took five sets to defeat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, coming back after dropping the first two sets.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
The Cost Of Letting Tech Debt Fester If your app takes five seconds to load, users will bounce.
—Oleg Sadikov, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for take five
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Mike O’Boyle, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Most college kids — normal college students — take five years now to graduate.
—Brendan Marks, New York Times, 25 July 2025
Fritz took five sets to defeat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, coming back after dropping the first two sets.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
The Cost Of Letting Tech Debt Fester If your app takes five seconds to load, users will bounce.
—Oleg Sadikov, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for take five
Cite this Entry
“Take five.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20five. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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