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Glite Dictionary
to take five

to take five

28 4.2
Have a short break for about five minutes
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : hacer una pausa
  • Hey, Gisselle, why don't you take five?
  • take five minutes

Examples

Synonyms

to take a break
vsto take five
496 1.4

To stop doing something for a short time to rest or relax before continuing

lasts about five minutes rather than an unspecified short time
to take a moment
vsto take five
98 3.4

Stop for a short time to think, rest or remember something

lasts about five minutes and is longer than a very brief pause
to take time out
vsto take five
24 3.2

Stop what you are doing to rest or do something different for a short time

is a short roughly five minute pause rather than a general stop
to take a breather
vsto take five
  • Informal
14 3.5

To stop and rest for a short time

lasts about five minutes and is shorter than an energy recovery rest
to take ten
vsto take five
1 5.1

A short ten-minute break during work or rehearsal

is about five minutes, shorter than that ten minute break
to set a spell
vsto take five
  • Archaic
9.4

To sit and rest for a short time and talk

is a quick five minute rest focused on brief relaxation not socializing

Antonyms

to continue
∞ 1.0

To keep doing something without stopping

How Long

to take ten
1 5.1
to take five
  • Informal
28 4.2

Surface Forms

take five infinitive
taking five present participle
takes five third person singular
took five past
taken five past participle

Morphology

take + five

The phrase literally combines 'take' + 'five' as an ellipsis for 'take five minutes', so a learner can often infer the idea of taking a short (about five-minute) break from the constituents and context. However, the abbreviated, conversational use as a conventional signal to pause is somewhat idiomatic and relies on pragmatic knowledge (and ellipsis), so it is not fully predictable for all B1 learners without exposure.

Etymology

The phrase take five may come from old jazz bands. Musicians would take a short five-minute break between songs, so take five came to mean 'to take a short break'.