high five meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

high five

noun

US /haɪ faɪv/

Etymology From high + five. The five refers to the five fingers of each hand.

A gesture of celebration or victory in which two people slap the palms of their hands together at shoulder height or higher.

Through the window I could see Nikki and Kim doing high fives in the car.1995, Paul Vautin, Turn It Up!, Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, page 144:

A game which uses a technique providing a user with an emotional reward after they complete a minor task or achievement.

Card games, Games The game of cinch.

verb

Etymology From high + five. The five refers to the five fingers of each hand.

To slap high fives.

Like a lot of my fellow passengers — indie-rock fans who had signed up for a three-day voyage full of bands and beverages — I’d never been on a cruise before. So I don’t know whether most of them begin with a staff member high-fiving each and every person who comes off the gangway.2012 March 30, Joe Levy, “Rockers at Sea”, in The New York Times: