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.

Google said its quantum computer using its new Willow quantum chip took five minutes to solve a math problem that a supercomputer would need around 10 septillion years to complete. —

Jeff Marks, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2024 One executive who was exploring becoming more prudent committed to taking five extra seconds to review his emails before sending them. —

Mary Crossan, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024 Advocates estimated the plan would cost $12.7 billion and take five years to phase in. —

Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 19 Nov. 2024 The journey to safety was challenging, taking five days and covering over 30 hours of driving through six countries, including France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and Ukraine. —

Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for take five