five
A1Neutral to formal; 'fiver' (meaning five pounds/dollars) is informal.
Definition
Meaning
The cardinal number 5, one more than four.
A symbol or representation of the number 5; a group or set containing five people or things; a score of five points in a game; a five-pound or five-dollar note (informal); a basketball player position (center).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
As a numeral, it is specific and unambiguous. In certain contexts, it can represent a generic, small quantity (e.g., 'Give me five minutes'). The phrase 'high five' is a celebratory gesture.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The informal term for a five-pound note is 'fiver' (UK), while for a five-dollar bill it's 'five-spot' or 'fiver' (US, less common). 'Five-a-side' is a common UK term for a small-sided football match.
Connotations
In both dialects, the number itself is neutral. Cultural connotations (e.g., 'five o'clock shadow') are shared.
Frequency
Usage frequency for the numeral is identical. Slang terms (fiver/five-spot) are low-frequency.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[five] + [noun (plural)]: five books[verb] + [for/at] + [five] + [unit]: wait for five hours[be] + [five] + [noun]: He is five years old.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Give me five!”
- “Take five”
- “It's five o'clock somewhere”
- “Nine-to-five”
- “Five-finger discount (slang for theft)”
- “The fifth column”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
'The project is split into five phases.'
Academic
'The data was analysed across five distinct cohorts.'
Everyday
'I'll be ready in five minutes.'
Technical
'The system uses a five-bit encoding scheme.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
American English
- He fived his teammate after the score. (slang, from 'high five')
adjective
British English
- She attended a five-a-side football tournament.
American English
- He works a nine-to-five job.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I have five apples.
- My sister is five years old.
- The meeting starts at five o'clock sharp.
- It costs five pounds to enter the museum.
- The committee is comprised of five elected members.
- The recipe calls for five cloves of garlic, finely chopped.
- The treaty was ratified by all five permanent members of the Security Council.
- The symphony's five-movement structure is highly unconventional.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine your hand has FIVE fingers.
Conceptual Metaphor
QUANTITY IS SIZE/WEIGHT ('a big five-year contract'); TIME IS SPACE ('a five-year journey').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- No direct trap. 'Five' translates directly to 'пять'. Be aware of declension rules in Russian ('пяти', 'пятью') which English lacks.
Common Mistakes
- Using singular noun after a number >1 (e.g., 'five year' instead of 'five years'). Confusing 'fifth' (5th) with 'five'.
Practice
Quiz
Which phrase is an informal British term for a five-pound note?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. 'Five' is the cardinal number (5). 'Fifth' is the ordinal number (5th), denoting position in a sequence.
Rarely and informally. It can mean 'to slap someone's hand in greeting or celebration' (from 'high five'), e.g., 'They fived each other.'
It's an idiomatic expression meaning to take a short, five-minute break from an activity.
It is pronounced as a diphthong /aɪ/, the same sound as in 'eye', 'my', and 'time'.
Collections
Part of a collection
Numbers and Time
A1 · 50 words · Numbers, dates, days and expressions of time.