nine-to-five
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or during the workday, especially the hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. when offices are characteristically open for business.
the nine-to-five grind.
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of, reflecting, or exhibiting a lack of willingness to work beyond the required amount of time or with more than minimal effort.
With your nine-to-five mentality, you'll never get a promotion.
Other Word Forms
- nine-to-fiver noun
Etymology
Origin of nine-to-five
First recorded in 1955–60
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sick of her nine-to-five job, she found the email address for an outreach worker at Cambridge, who helped her get on a degree course in theatre and education.
From BBC
In boxing, the story of the "working-class hero" - the athlete who still clocks in for a nine-to-five - is a great marketing hook.
From BBC
"Seeing these guys working a nine-to-five, coming to training and they are always up for it," he says.
From BBC
"I know for a fact that if I went into a normal nine-to-five job I wouldn't be able to afford my bills ."
From BBC
People are working full-time, working nine-to-five, then having to back it up with back-to-back trainings until 9pm.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
