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

For five years Himatraj and Rajvir Bajwa from London tried unsuccessfully to start a family, including with two rounds of IVF, before they decided to pursue surrogacy.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

Elf ears first emerged about five years ago when an influencer in China posted about undergoing surgery to have more prominent, pointy ears.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Wei, who is now five years old, suffered severe brain damage after he was born prematurely in 2021.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

Golden Tempo is the second straight horse and third in the last five years not to run in the Preakness.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

Like you hadn’t already done that five times before asking.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith