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
Megan MyersParry 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
Nicole IorioI 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
Brandon TerrellExamples of take five in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Cost Of Letting Tech Debt Fester If your app takes five seconds to load, users will bounce.
—Oleg Sadikov, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
Gym shorts are quite literally built to move around in—just the thing when taking five steps outside can feel like running a marathon.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 17 July 2025
The jury had already taken five days to deliberate on the charges involving Haley and Sokola before reaching the split verdict on Wednesday.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 12 June 2025
In the home and away dressing rooms hang the famous honours boards where century makers or bowlers who have taken five wickets in an innings — Bumrah has now joined the list — or 10 wickets in a match have their names inscribed.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for take five
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Oleg Sadikov, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
Gym shorts are quite literally built to move around in—just the thing when taking five steps outside can feel like running a marathon.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 17 July 2025
The jury had already taken five days to deliberate on the charges involving Haley and Sokola before reaching the split verdict on Wednesday.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 12 June 2025
In the home and away dressing rooms hang the famous honours boards where century makers or bowlers who have taken five wickets in an innings — Bumrah has now joined the list — or 10 wickets in a match have their names inscribed.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for take five
Cite this Entry
“Take five.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20five. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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