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

Once the designs are complete, the park will take five to six years to build. Details such as the cost and attractions of the resort weren’t disclosed. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 May 2025

When things feel overwhelming, take five minutes to visualize your future. —Anna Pulley, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2025

The 49ers have taken five in the first round since 2015. —Matt Barrows, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025

Simple nature moments: Step outside and take five deep breaths. —Rebecca Shaddix, Forbes.com, 22 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