fives

American

[fahyvz] / faɪvz /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

a game resembling handball, played on a court having a front wall and two side walls.

fives British

/ faɪvz /

noun

(functioning as singular) a ball game similar to squash but played with bats or the hands

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of fives

First recorded in 1630–40; five + -s ³

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Manny Farber said that when he was about 4 years old, his father demonstrated to him how a computer worked by writing a computer program on the fly that could count to 100 by fives.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Rahm has failed to add to eight major top fives, including two wins, accrued before leaving the PGA Tour.

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025

I plan to use my unit mostly for high fives, and ask only for an AI Mel Blanc voice option that recalls Twiki from the old Buck Rogers in the 25th Century series.

From Barron's • Oct. 31, 2025

Reyes Barrios juggled a ball a bit, gave the kids hugs and high fives, and smiled.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2025

All four were merrily flapping their arms, giving each other high and low fives.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023