pike

1 of 8

noun (1)

ˈpīk 

1

: pikestaff sense 1

2

: a sharp point or spike

also : the tip of a spear

piked

ˈpīkt 

adjective

pike

2 of 8

noun (2)

dialectal, England

: a mountain or hill having a peaked summit

—used especially in place names

pike

3 of 8

noun (3)

plural pike or pikes

1

a

: a large elongate long-snouted freshwater bony fish (Esox lucius) valued for food and sport and widely distributed in cooler parts of the northern hemisphere

called also northern, northern pike

b

: any of various fishes (family Esocidae) related to the pike: such as

(1)

: muskellunge

(2)

: pickerel

2

: any of various fishes resembling the pike in appearance or habits

pike

4 of 8

noun (4)

: a heavy spear with a very long shaft used by infantry especially in Europe from the Middle Ages to the 18th century

pike

5 of 8

verb (1)

piked; piking

transitive verb

: to pierce, kill, or wound with a pike

pike

6 of 8

verb (2)

piked; piking

intransitive verb

1

: to leave abruptly

get lonely and sore, and pike out

—Sinclair Lewis

2

: to make one's way

pike along

pike

7 of 8

noun (5)

1

: turnpike

2

: a railroad or railroad line or system

pike

8 of 8

noun (6)

: a body position (as in diving) in which the hips are bent, the knees are straight, and the hands touch the toes or clasp the legs behind or just above the knees

Phrases

down the pike

1

: in the course of events

the greatest boxer to come down the pike in years

2

: in the future

today's advances only hint at what's down the pike

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• arterial
• artery
• avenue
• boulevard
• carriageway [British]
• drag
• drive
• expressway
• freeway
• high road
• highway
• pass
• road
• roadway
• route
• row
• street
• thoroughfare
• thruway
• trace
• turnpike
• way

Noun (2)

• javelin
• lance
• pikestaff
• shaft
• spear

Noun (3)

• apex
• cusp
• end
• nib
• nose
• point
• tip

Verb (2)

• bail
• bail out
• begone
• book [slang]
• bug off
• bug out
• bugger off [British slang]
• buzz (off)
• clear off [chiefly British]
• clear out
• cut out
• depart
• dig out
• exit
• get
• get off
• go
• go off
• move
• pack (up or off)
• part
• peel off
• pull out
• push off
• push on
• quit
• run along
• sally (forth)
• scarper [British]
• shove (off)
• step (along)
• take off
• vamoose
• walk out

Examples of pike in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Young also began the competition strong, earning sevens on her first dive, a forward three 1/2 somersaults pike for a total score of 63. —USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2021

Noun

Given the strength and precision required for the Yurchenko double pike, it really should be valued at a 6.6. —Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 24 Aug. 2023

Advertisement By contrast, streamers and premium cable channels do have new shows coming down the pike, if not quite in the same numbers as in years past. —Nina Metz, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023

Fed Chair Jerome Powell said last week there could be more rate hikes coming down the pike if the economy doesn’t slow. —Bryan Mena, CNN, 30 Aug. 2023

Biles didn’t display the double pike in warm-ups or in competition on Sunday, opting to show just one tough vault called a Cheng. —Carla Correa, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023

The Yurchenko double pike will only get better in the coming months, as will her other skills. —USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2023

The Yurchenko double pike vault Simone Biles did Friday night was close to perfect. —USA TODAY, 27 Aug. 2023

Trout, pike, and pickerel—all of which are popular on the table—have many more small bones that need to be dealt with than snakeheads. —Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 20 July 2023

This also suggests that muskies have a slower metabolism than pike. —Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 19 July 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English pīc pickax

Noun (2)

Middle English, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian dialect pīk pointed mountain

Noun (3)

Middle English, from pike entry 1

Noun (4)

Middle French pique, from piquer to prick, from Vulgar Latin *piccare, perhaps from Latin picus woodpecker — more at pie

Verb (2)

Middle English pyken (reflexive)

Noun (6)

perhaps from pike entry 3

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (4)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1787, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

circa 1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (5)

1812, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (6)

1928, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pike

• blue pike
• northern pike
• down the pike
• come down the pike
• pike perch

• blue pike
• northern pike
• down the pike
• come down the pike
• pike perch

Kids Definition

pike

1 of 4 noun

ˈpīk 

1

: pikestaff sense 1

2

: a sharp point or spike (as the tip of a spear)

piked

ˈpīkt 

adjective

pike

2 of 4 noun

plural pike or pikes

1

: a large freshwater fish with a long body and long snout that is valued for food and sport and is widely distributed in cool northern waters

2

: any of various fishes related to or like the pike

pike

3 of 4 noun

: a long wooden pole with a steel point once used as a weapon

pike

4 of 4 noun

: turnpike

Etymology

Noun

Old English pic "pick used for digging"

Noun

Middle English pike "a fish," from pic "a pick used for digging"

Noun

from early French pique "a long weapon of war," from piquer "to prick," probably derived from a Latin word picus "woodpecker" — related to pick entry 1

Noun

a shortened form of turnpike

Biographical Definition

Pike

biographical name

ˈpīk 

Zebulon Montgomery 1779–1813 American general and explorer