five
Noun pluralfives
Pluralfives
- 1The number 5, one more than four, or that many people or things.
Like counting out five marbles to make one small pile.
Five friends shared a pizza on Friday night.
The team needs five players to start the game.
UsageSay a five-year-old boy and a five-minute walk.
- 2The written symbol that stands for the number 5.
Like a letter you write, except it stands for a number instead of a sound.
She wrote a big five on the chalkboard.
The five on the old clock had faded away.
- 3The time of day at five o'clock.
Let's meet at five for dinner.
The store closes at five every day.
UsageSay at five for five o'clock.
Less common meanings
- 4A paper money note worth five dollars or other money units.
Like a small bill you might use to buy lunch.
He paid with a five and got change back.
She tucked a five into the birthday card.
Usagebreak a five means change it for smaller money.
Similarfiver
- 5A child who is five years old.
Like a kindergarten kid who just had a fifth birthday.
At day camp, the fives eat lunch first, and the older kids eat later.
Our swim class for fours and fives meets on Saturday mornings.
- 6
- 7A thing that measures five units, for example five inches or feet long.
- 8
- 9A playing card with five shapes on it, or a side of a die or domino with five dots.
I drew the five of hearts and won the round.
She rolled a five and moved her piece to the finish line.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of five apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
"Five" comes from Old English fīf, going all the way back to an ancient root shared by many languages.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- English five descends from Old English fīf. en.wiktionary.org
- Five ultimately descends from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷe, with related forms in many languages. en.wiktionary.org