five

American  

[fahyv] / faɪv /

noun

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?

---

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

---

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.

---

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

Hastings, alongside his brother Gavin, was part of the last Scotland side to win a Grand Slam when they triumphed in the 1990 Five Nations.

From BBC • May 17, 2026

Five bidders participated in this year’s auction on eBay, which opened at $50,000.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Five California residents have been potentially exposed to the virus — four aboard the cruise ship, and the fifth while on a plane with an infected person in South Africa.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

Five days later, “The Mark Levin Show” ran a conversation with Dan Patrick, the state’s lieutenant governor.

From Salon • May 13, 2026

Five months after that, Apollo 10 took off and proved that the Lunar Lander could dock with the command module.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson