five

American  

[fahyv] / faɪv /

noun

• fives
  plural

1. a cardinal number, four plus one.

2. a symbol for this number, as 5 or V.

3. a set of this many persons or things.

4. a playing card, die face, or half of a domino face with five pips.

5. Informal. a five-dollar bill.

   Can you give me two fives for a ten?

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adjective

1. amounting to five in number.

idioms

1. take five, to take a brief respite.

five British  

/ faɪv /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

2. a numeral, 5, V, etc, representing this number

3. the amount or quantity that is one greater than four

4. something representing, represented by, or consisting of five units, such as a playing card with five symbols on it

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determiner

1. 1. amounting to five

      five minutes

      five nights

   2. ( as pronoun )

      choose any five you like

five More Idioms  

1. see take five.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of five

before 1000; 1925–30 five for def. 7; Middle English; Old English fīf; cognate with Dutch vijf, German fünf, Old Norse fimm, Gothic fimf, Latin quīnque, Greek pénte, Sanskrit pancha

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

five fives

Ofgem says about five million people still pay their bill when it arrives every three months.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Japanese small- and mid-cap stocks have lagged large-caps over the past five years, he adds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

But Maye showed promise in those games a year ago, throwing for five touchdowns and two interceptions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

The questionnaire asks participants to rate five statements:

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026

"Well, your Honor, I did ask him to make a cape, and in the end, I asked for five," said the farmer.

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

He profited from the two front-nine par fives to pick up three birdies by the turn and lead by one.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Afterward, Jordan jumped the track’s safety barrier to greet Reddick and his team with some hard high fives and enthusiastic cheers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2026

Manny Farber said that when he was about 4 years old, his father demonstrated to him how a computer worked by writing a computer program on the fly that could count to 100 by fives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026

Rahm has failed to add to eight major top fives, including two wins, accrued before leaving the PGA Tour.

From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025

It wasn’t until fives shots later that Brandon missed his first bucket.

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson