take five

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

If the Cowboys take five receivers, the coaching staff has an incredibly difficult decision on their hands on whether to take Mingo or Brown. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Aug. 2026

This second journey is significantly more ambitious and will likely take five years or more to mature. — Peter Bendor-Samuel, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

The University of Cincinnati’s engineering degree generally takes five years to complete, for example. — Abigail Boggs, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026

Inhale and then take five full seconds to lower into a squat, aiming to bring your thighs parallel to the floor, if comfortable. — Dana Santas, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for take five

• overdrive
• alive
• archive
• arrive
• beehive
• connive
• contrive
• deprive
• derive
• khedive
• revive
• survive