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.

Erivo added that the manicure was no easy feat, taking five hours to complete. —

Michelle Lee, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025 Erivo revealed on the red carpet that her nails took five hours to perfect ahead of the Golden Globes. —

Renan Botelho, WWD, 5 Jan. 2025 Editors’ Picks Best Classical Music Albums of 2024 Image Ms. Battista, the medical student in Rome who was evicted, said her frantic search for another place not far from the city center took five months. —

Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024 Accidents strained ambulances, which took five or six times as long to get to hospitals. —

Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for take five