take the fifth
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
A reference to the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which states, among other things, that it may not be required of one to testify against oneself.
Pronunciation edit
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Verb edit
take the fifth (third-person singular simple present takes the fifth, present participle taking the fifth, simple past took the fifth, past participle taken the fifth)
- (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.
- 2022 July 8, Barton Gellman, quoting Michael Flynn, “What Happened to Michael Flynn?”, in The Atlantic[1]:
- “Do you believe the violence on January 6 was justified morally?” she asked. Flynn squinted, truculent. “Take the Fifth,” he said.