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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Lastly, Towns has only taken five 3s in 60 minutes of preseason action. James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025 Joseph Clifton Smith, who was convicted of capital murder for the 1997 beating death of Durk Van Dam, has taken five IQ tests, four of which placed his IQ in the low- to mid-70s. Ella Lee, The Hill, 5 Oct. 2025 The first batch of episodes once again took five engaged couples on the post-pod vacation in Mexico, but there was already plenty of trouble in paradise. Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Oct. 2025 The project ultimately took five years to come together. Ed Meza, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for take five

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of take five was in 1916

Cite this Entry

“Take five.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20five. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

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