five seconds
Very short duration
Five seconds is a very brief span of time—the duration of a slow breath or a short pause.
Often used loosely to mean just a moment: Give me five seconds to grab my coat.
The phrase suggests minimal waiting, though the actual time may stretch longer.
In sports and games, five seconds can be a precise measurement with real consequences.
- countdownBackward enumeration to zero
- shot clockTimer limiting possession duration
- momentBrief period of time
- briefShort in duration
- instantBriefest unit of time
blink · blink of an eye · hesitation · pause · timer · quick · quick glance · fleeting · heartbeat · breath · hold your breath · delay · flash · tick · wait · reaction · buzzer · snapshot
- basketball rulespersonal foul, technical foul, traveling, double dribble, carrying
- game callsfoul, offsides, offside, traveling, travel