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

When we nodded, she broke into a wide grin, gestured with two thumbs up, and finished off with a high-five.

From The Daily Beast

It was no fun at all paying high five-figure debt on a low five-figure salary.

From The Daily Beast

I speak from experience: I graduated from Chicago with (very) high five-figure debt.

From The Daily Beast

Five dollars gets you a “genuine, limited edition high-five from both Tom and Gary.”

From The Daily Beast

A guy in a classic Chevy Impala stops to high-five people passing him.

From The Daily Beast

Games of solo, high-five, and piute went on without him and in heated arguments no one any longer asked his views.

From Project Gutenberg

“Neat trick,” Kurt said, and they had a little partner-to-partner high-five.

From Project Gutenberg

Just before him stood, by a high five-barred gate, a pensive gray cob attached to a neat-looking gig.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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