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

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Witkoff, a real estate developer, assesses that the demolition and moving of the debris alone will take five years. —

Barak Ravid, Axios, 30 Jan. 2025 Mustafa Barghouti, an independent Palestinian politician, told CNN a trip from Ramallah to Jericho, which usually takes 45 minutes, can now take five hours some days. —

Tim Lister and Eugenia Yosef, CNN, 23 Jan. 2025 This year alone, she’s taken five international cruises and at least as many domestic trips. —

R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2025 Hurts took five sacks, which led to him suffering an injury. —

Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for take five