five
Noun pluralfives
Pluralfives
- 1The number 5, one more than four; a group or amount of that many.
Five committee members voted against the proposal.
The novel is divided into five distinct parts.
UsageIn age or measure phrases before a noun, keep the unit singular with hyphens: a five-minute walk, a five-year-old boy (not
incorrect: a five-years-oldboy). - 2The digit or written figure 5.
His handwritten five looked almost like an S.
Type a five to select that option from the menu.
- 3The hour of five o'clock.
We always have tea at five.
By five, the office had completely emptied out.
Usageat five, by five, after five; o'clock can be left out.
Less common meanings
- 4A banknote worth five units of currency.
He left a five on the counter for the coffee.
She broke a twenty into four crisp fives.
UsageCommon with break or change: break a five. a fiver means the same note.
Similarfiver
- 5A person, especially a child, who is five years old.
The puzzle is pitched at a typical five, who can count but cannot yet read.
The library's Saturday story hour is meant for fours and fives, so the books have big pictures and few words.
- 6A brief break from work or activity, typically of five minutes.
Take five, everyone, and then we'll run it again.
Halfway through the long rehearsal, the director called for everyone to take five and get some water.
UsageMostly in the phrase take five, said when work stops for a moment.
Similarbreak, breather, rest, pause
Note
The break does not have to last five minutes. The number sets a scale of shortness rather than a time on the clock.
- 7Something that measures five units, especially of length.
- 8A basketball team, club, or starting lineup of players.
The visiting five dominated the second half.
Coach reshuffled his five after halftime.
Similarteam, lineup, squad, side
Note
Basketball names a side after the five players it has on the court at one time. The word behaves as an ordinary countable noun with a modifier in front, as in the visiting five or his starting five. It can mean the club as a whole or the particular lineup a coach sends out, and only context shows which.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
- A basketball side has five players on the court at one time. assets.fiba.basketball
- 9In games, a card with five pips of its suit, or a die face, half of a domino, or other piece showing five spots.
He laid down three fives and a pair of kings to take the hand.
The domino she played had a five on one end and a blank on the other.
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Practice
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Origin
"Five" comes from Middle English five, from Old English fīf, from Proto-Germanic *fimf, and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *pénkʷe. Related words appear across many languages, such as Dutch vijf, German fünf, Latin quinque, and Sanskrit páñca.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- English five descends through Middle English and Old English fīf from Proto-Germanic *fimf and ultimately Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷe. en.wiktionary.org
- Five is an attested Middle English spelling. en.wiktionary.org
- Dutch vijf, German fünf, Latin quinque, and Sanskrit páñca are related words. en.wiktionary.org