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take the Fifth
Idioms and Phrases
Refuse to answer on the grounds that one may incriminate oneself, as in He took the Fifth on so many of the prosecutor's questions that we're sure he's guilty . This idiom refers to the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states that no person shall be compelled to be a witness against himself or herself. [Mid-1900s]Example Sentences
Hearst took the Fifth 42 times to avoid questions about her “lost year,” 1975, which included the Carmichael robbery.
“Take the stand, Donald, or admit you’re a coward,” blares a new ad from the group, Third Way, which highlights Mr. Trump’s past comment that “if you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?”
"His legal team’s strategy was always defensive and focused on limiting liability elsewhere, which is why he took the Fifth hundreds of times in his deposition."
"Donald Trump Jr. would have had the option of taking the Fifth Amendment," he said.
Meadows has reportedly testified before the federal grand jury in Washington, but took the Fifth when called before the special grand jury in Georgia.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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