nine to five

alternative nine-to-five · alternative 9 to 5 · alternative 9-to-5 · alternative 9-5 · alternative 9-2-5 · alternative Yorkshire nine while five

1. not comparableFrom 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

   Nine to five, what a way to make a living; barely getting by, it's all taking and no giving.

   1980, Dolly Parton, “9 to 5”

   1 more example

   [D]uring his heyday, Bill Rodgers emphatically stated, “No runner working 9 to 5 can beat me”, attesting that training for elite distance competition had become a full-time job in itself.

   2006 July, Max King, “Leading Edge: It′s Good to be King”, in Running Times, page 58

plural nine to fives · alternative nine-to-five · alternative 9 to 5 · alternative 9-to-5 · alternative 9-5 · alternative 9-2-5 · alternative Yorkshire nine while five

1. The period between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., corresponding to the office hours of a typical working day.
   1. A typical day job that occupies these working hours; (also) the working day itself.

      2010 January-February, Lou′s Clues: Getting to Work (editorial), Ancestry Magazine, page 6, And you might decide that our 9-to-5s today just aren′t so tough.

      5 more examples

      He done quit his nine to five, he drink full-time / And now he’s living in a bottle

      1974, Gil Scott-Heron, Brian Jackson, “The Bottle”, in Winter in America

      We're lost in music / Feel so alive / I quit my nine-to-five / We're lost in music

      1979, Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards, “Lost in Music”, performed by Sister Sledge

      Keisha works a 9-to-5, picks up their son from the day care and then heads home to prepare dinner for the family.

      2005 December, Zondra Hughes, “Save Your Marriage Now!: Divorce-Busters That Work”, in Ebony, page 146

      "It's always an early or late shift here - there's never a nine-to-five. I wouldn't like a cosy nine-to-five anyway.["]

      2023 November 29, Paul Clifton, “West is best in the Highlands”, in RAIL, number 997, page 42

      In the caption, Felt noted that the break is “totally worth it” if you have the money. She’s “childfree” and had saved up “a sizable chunk” of funds before quitting her 9-to-5.

      2024 December 31, Brooke Kato, “What is ‘microretirement’? Gen Z and millennials spawn new career trend to help with woes”, in New York Post

   2. oftenThe routine imposed by such a work schedule.

      Going back to the nine to five after the weekend can be depressing.

      1 more example

      But going behind the scenes, you see what is absent from the social media highlights and edgy viral clips: life as an influencer is often banal and just as much of a trap as the standard nine-to-five.

      2026 March 11, Elle Hunt, “Surely if you rule the manosphere, you can be your own boss? These influencers aren’t even that”, in The Guardian

   3. broadlyA person who works such a day job.

      Stock markets crash, businesses go bankrupt, and 9-to-5s can disappear from layoffs and downsizing.

      2009, Scott Brown, Treat Your Poker Like a Business, page 101

      Synonyms: nine-to-fiver

alternative nine-to-five · alternative 9 to 5 · alternative 9-to-5 · alternative 9-5 · alternative 9-2-5 · alternative Yorkshire nine while five

1. Beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m.
   1. not comparableRelating to or characteristic of the routine or lifestyle centred around a typical working day.

      [see title]

      2000, Renata Somogyi, Inner Peace in a 9-To-5 World: Attaining Enlightenment Amidst the Chaos

   2. not comparableWorking such a job or committed to such a lifestyle.

      1976 March, advertisement, Popular Mechanics, page 44, By day, he′s a 9-to-5 man. By night, an explorer in a field that really interests him!

present singular third person nine to fives · participle present nine to fiving · participle past nine to fived · past nine to fived · alternative nine-to-five · alternative 9 to 5 · alternative 9-to-5 · alternative 9-5 · alternative 9-2-5 · alternative Yorkshire nine while five

1. informalintransitiveoftenTo work a typical day job with office hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

   About three decades later, [Moe] Berg is 9-to-5-ing and pushing 60. He’s no longer a rock star.

   2019 January 4, Brad Wheeler, “30 years later, the Pursuit of Happiness is back on its feet”, in The Globe and Mail

   2 more examples

   What’s more, Friends offers someone for everyone: a tall, dorky, insecure guy (David Schwimmer); a ditzy, guitar-strumming blonde (Lisa Kudrow); a handsome, jean-clad palooka (Matt LeBlanc); a sarcastic, 9-to-5-ing funnyman ([Matthew] Perry); a dark-haired, blue-eyed Veronica (Courteney Cox); and a spoiled suburban princess just finding her legs ([Jennifer] Aniston).

   1996 March 7, Rich Cohen, “Jennifer Aniston: The Girl Friend”, in Rolling Stone

   Pete [Best] led a quiet but contented life subsequently as a civil servant and is heading for his golden wedding. He never abandoned music, however, and set up the Pete Best Band after 20 years nine-to-fiving for HM Government.

   2011 July 25, Martin Wainwright, “Street cred at last for one of the 'Forgotten Beatles'”, in The Guardian