What does "high five" mean?

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

High five

Common synonyms include: celebration gesture, congratulatory signal, give five, hand slap, hooray, palm slap.

/haɪ faɪv/ noun, verb

noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A gesture of celebration or victory in which two people slap the palms of their hands together at shoulder height or higher. countable, uncountable
"Through the window I could see Nikki and Kim doing high fives in the car."
2
A game which uses a technique providing a user with an emotional reward after they complete a minor task or achievement. countable, uncountable
3
The game of cinch. uncountable

Verb

1
To slap high fives. transitive
"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."

"Through the window I could see Nikki and Kim doing high fives in the car."

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