five-by-five

American  

[fahyv-bahy-fahyv] / ˈfaɪv baɪˈfaɪv /

adjective

Slang: Facetious.

1. short and fat.

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five by five British  

interjection

1. an expression used in telecommunications to state that a signal is being received clearly

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Etymology

Origin of five-by-five

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Their approach involved five sessions per day for five days, known as five-by-five, or "5x5."

From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2026

Andrei Sator’s surname comes from the Sator Square, a five-by-five grid of interlocking letters that reads the same in every direction.

From Slate • Sep. 3, 2020

Lyndon Johnson, folksy but serious during the State of the Union of 1968, appears 24 times in a five-by-five grid of TV screens, the center left blank like the free space on a bingo card.

From New York Times • Sep. 3, 2015

At the conclusion of every game of tournament Scrabble, players arrange the 100 tiles into four five-by-five squares, to ensure none are missing.

From Slate • Aug. 17, 2012

He walked over to the nearby table and opened a box some twelve inches long and five-by-five inches in cross-section.

From Anything You Can Do ... by Garrett, Randall