five

[ fahyv ]

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.

five

/ 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 nights

      five minutes

   2. ( as pronoun ) penta-quinque-

      choose any five you like

Word History and Origins

Origin of five¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of five¹

Old English fīf ; related to Old Norse fimm , Gothic fimf , Old High German finf , Latin quinque , Greek pente , Sanskrit pañca

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. take five, Informal. to take a brief respite.

More idioms and phrases containing five

see take five .

Example Sentences

Each year, József loses five or six of his herd to a wolf, or a bear.

From BBC

“There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution.”

From Los Angeles Times

In all five of USC’s losses, critical mistakes from Moss down the stretch would prove incredibly costly.

From Los Angeles Times

Consumer spending during Cyber Week — the five days between Thanksgiving and the Monday after — is a good indicator of what retailers can expect going into the holiday season.

From Salon

Gjert was charged with one offence in April - but five cases were dropped on the strength of evidence and one other because of time constraints.

From BBC