High Fives are a recurring occurrence among the gang, particularly with Barney, who loves giving them and receiving them more than anyone. The standard high five involves two people raising an open hand each to head level (or above head level), and slap their palms together. However, variations of the typical high five have occurred; Examples of these variations can be found below.
Special High Fives[]
Arthritis Five[]
A claw-hand high five performed by the elderly with arthritis.
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Performed by Barney in Intervention. |
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Relapse Five[]
| To quote Barney, "That's where we high five, then it's awkward for a little bit, then we high five again."
Performed by Barney in Slapsgiving. |
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Phone Five[]
| If you're on the phone with someone, the two of you can perform a Phone Five by high fiving the phone itself at the same time.
Performed by Barney in Sweet Taste of Liberty. |
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Solemn Low Five[]
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A solemn low five is an appropriate way to high five when in a somber environment (such as a wake). Rather than loudly high fiving with your hand raised, leave your hand low by your side, and high five slowly to perform a solemn low five.
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Hypothetical High Five[]
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Not all high fives require participants to touch, or even move. Simply think about high fiving someone to perform a hypothetical high five. It's "nice!"
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Self Five[]
| A Self Five is useful when there is no one else around to high five (or no one around who wants to high five). Rather than high fiving another's hand, high five your own, opposite hand to perform a Self Five.
Performed by Barney in more episodes than the high fives in this page including Slutty Pumpkin, The Broath, The Stamp Tramp, and Last Forever - Part Two. He warns in Knight Vision that picking the wrong person to have a hookup with at a weekend wedding will result in a "self five, and I don't mean the cool kind". |
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Freeze Frame High Five[]
| Rather than pulling your hands back after making contact, keep your hands together and freeze in place in order to perform a Freeze Frame High Five.
Performed by Barney and Robin in Zip, Zip, Zip. |
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Tiny Five[]
| When one high five partner has much smaller hands than the other partner (Example: a high five between an adult and a child), the resulting high five becomes a Tiny Five.
Performed by Barney and one of the kids in Lily's class in Nothing Good Happens After 2 A.M.. |
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High Two[]
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If you high five someone with only two fingers raised (in a V sign), then you've just performed a high two.
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Multiple High Fives[]
| You can perform a Multiple High Five by simply high fiving your partner again and again after your initial, regular high five.
Performed by Lily in World's Greatest Couple. |
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Jesus' high five[]
| Jesus invented the high five after his death and resurrection, according to a fake history lesson.
Explained by Barney in The Three Days Rule. |
The highest of fives[]
| Preparing to have sex with his 200th woman, Barney requests (but is denied) from Ted "the highest of fives".
Performed by Barney in Right Place, Right Time. |
Door Five[]
| Doors are no obstacle to a high five. Two people can high five through opposite sides of a door by both high fiving the door itself.
Performed by Barney in Definitions. |
High Six[]
| Sometimes, events are too monumental for just a high five. Sometimes, they need a little bit more. That's where the High Six comes in; increase the intensity of a normal high five by adding in an extra finger, and you have a High Six. Beware though; the High Six may not be as awesome as you think it might be. | 
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Motility Five[]
| If you want to celebrate the strength and fertility of a man's sperm in the form of a high five, you can try a Motility Five by wiggling your hand through the air before you high five.
Performed by Barney in Bad News. |
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Claw Five[]
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A Claw Five is performed by high fiving someone as you both wear Wolverine Claws. Performed by Barney and Marshall in Mosbius Designs. |
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High V[]
| The High V is what the regular high five was called by ancient Romans who used Roman numerals.
Performed by Barney and Ted in Desperation Day. |
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Word Play Five[]
| The Word Play Five occurs after a particularly awesome play on words. After Barney says that on Not a Father's Day you'd get a "Thai you'd actually wear"
Performed by Barney and Marshall in Not a Father's Day. |
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Condolence Five[]
| The Condolence Five is given to whom something bad has happened. In the episode, Ted gives Barney a Condolence Five after saying that he has seen his girlfriends breasts.
Performed by Barney and Ted in Good Crazy. |
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Almighty Five[]
| Almighty Five is used by Barney when he wanted to High-Five God.
Performed by Barney in Nannies. |
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Mental Self Five[]
| Mental Self Five is used when Barney wants to High Five himself during a thought.
Performed by Barney in Who Wants to Be a Godparent?. |
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Retraction Five[]
| Retraction Five is used to take back a previously performed High Five.
Performed by Barney and Ted in Ring Up. |
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Angry Self Five[]
| Angry Self Five is used to self five yourself when you're angry.
Performed by Barney in The Fortress. |
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Mushroom Cloud Five[]
A type of high five that imitates the explosion of an atomic bomb or a "mushroom cloud."
| Performed by Barney and one of the prospective buyers in The Fortress. | 
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Bondage Five[]
| Performed by Barney and Robin in Coming Back. | 
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Prayer Five[]
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Whenever you're in front a reverend and feel like high fiving, you can always do a Prayer Five to avoid attention. Performed by Barney and Robin in Knight Vision. |
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Get-this-over-with-quickly so-we-can move-past-how-awkward-it-was that-I-just-said-that Five[]
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It's always cool to high five your mom, it's just awkward when she doesn't high five back so we should use this high five to insist her on doing it to move past the awkwardness. Performed by Barney and Loretta in The Lighthouse.   |
High Infinity[]
| This is not just a regular high five, this was the last "special" high five of the show. This high five was the most legendary high five in the show. Performed by Ted and Barney, it was a high five to be all the high fives through out the whole show and after it. It was truly a night to remember. Last Forever - Part One. | 
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