high-five

or high five

[ hahy-fahyv ]

noun

1. a gesture of congratulation, solidarity, or greeting in which one person slaps the upraised palm of the hand against that of another.

verb (used with object)

1. to congratulate, express solidarity with, or greet (a person) with a high-five:

   I'm such a couch potato that I'd love to high-five the genius who invented remote controls.

verb (used without object)

1. to exchange high-fives:

   After pulling out a win, the players noisily high-fived before leaving the court.

high-five

noun

1. a gesture of greeting or congratulation in which two people slap raised right palms together

verb

1. to greet or congratulate (a person) in this way

Word History and Origins

Origin of high-five¹

First recorded in 1975–80 ( five in reference to the five fingers of the hand)

Example Sentences

Jones, meanwhile, smiled and high-fived fans as he entered to Jadakiss' 'The Champ is Here', before entering the octagon with his signature cartwheel.

From BBC

The Chargers’ $262-million man is so valuable that Harbaugh has banned him from giving high-fives or celebratory helmet taps with his throwing hand.

From Los Angeles Times

Capobianco and the other fan, who was not identified, were ejected and escorted from their seats by stadium security, exchanging high-fives and at least one hug with applauding fans as they walked up the aisle.

From Los Angeles Times

“He probably had his picture taken with 100 different fans. Everybody was super excited about it. Even Yankees fans high-fived him. It was surreal.”

From Los Angeles Times

Viewers noticed some apparently awkward moments between the opera singer and his dance partner Katya Jones, when she seemed to decline a high-five and later appeared to move his hand from her waist.

From BBC

Related Words

• accost
• acknowledge
• address
• approach
• attend
• embrace
• hail
• meet
• receive
• salute
• shake hands
• stop