take the fifth en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
A reference to the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which, among other provisions (e.g., prohibition of double jeopardy), protects individuals from being compelled to testify against themselves (i.e., self-incrimination).
Meanings
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(idiomatic) To decline to comment, especially on grounds that it might be incriminating.
If you ask me who ate the last of the ice cream, I will simply take the fifth.
“Do you believe the violence on January 6 was justified morally?” she asked. Flynn squinted, truculent. “Take the Fifth,” he said.
2022 July 8, Barton Gellman, quoting Michael Flynn, “What Happened to Michael Flynn?”, in The Atlantic:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| took the fifth | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| taking the fifth | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| take the Fifth | alternative | lexicographic | |
| taken the fifth | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| takes the fifth | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |