fist bump

American  

noun

Informal.

• fist bumps
  plural

1. a gesture of greeting, friendship, triumph, etc., in which two people make a fist and bump each other's knuckles.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• fist-bump
  verb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• fist bumps
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fist bump

First recorded in 1995–2000

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fist bump

South Korea fan Ben Lee was performing soccer kick-ups with a pack of Shin Noodles when he saw Kevin Gonzalez walk by in a Mexico shirt and offered him a fist bump.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

In the stadium parking lot, David Arias, a Mexican American resident of Inglewood, gave a fist bump to Kam Pirouz, an Iranian fan who had traveled from Washington, D.C., to see the game.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

Dubois declined a fist bump in their first face-off in February and the hostility continued when they met again this week, with the verbal exchanges beginning within minutes.

From BBC ● May 7, 2026

Taking a swipe at former President Joe Biden, who greeted the royal with a fist bump in 2022, Trump said, “I don’t care where that hand’s been, I grab that hand.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025

Nicole went for a fist bump, but Mary Lou bungled it.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray