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

Your technician takes five photos to build a 3D image of approximately 600 specific data points; these data points are used to analyze features, assess symmetry, and create an individualized treatment plan. —Sherrie Nachman, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025

Any change in strategy could take five to seven years to show up in those metrics. —Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 May 2025

The Capital of Quantum campaign will take five years to fund. —Forbes.com, 9 May 2025

The Last Dance, written and directed by Anselm Chan, also triumphed at this year’s awards, taking five prizes including best screenplay, best actress for Michelle Wai’s performance, best supporting actor for Chu Pak-hong, best original film score and best original film song. —Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 27 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for take five

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