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)

• road
• street
• highway
• thoroughfare
• route
• freeway
• turnpike
• expressway
• boulevard
• roadway
• carriageway [British]
• artery

Noun (2)

• spear
• javelin
• lance

Noun (3)

• tip
• end
• apex
• nose

Verb (2)

• exit
• move
• depart
• cut out
• get
• go
• bail out
• get off
• run along
• peel off
• pack (up or off)
• walk out
• dig out
• sally (forth)
• go off
• pull out
• bugger off [British slang]
• part
• evacuate
• step (along)
• clear out
• flee
• start

Examples of pike in a Sentence

Noun (1)

you can take the pike all the way to the city

Noun (2)

a foot soldier armed with a pike

Noun (3)

the spear's metal pike was designed to cause a gaping wound when it was pulled out of the victim

Verb (2)

early next morning the aloof guest just piked out without saying a word

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Navarro, meanwhile, will continue on at Wimbledon — but with a tough matchup coming down the pike. —Grace Jordan-Weinstein, People.com, 3 July 2025

Murfreesboro and Hobson pikes tied for second with two fatal crashes reported since 2019, but has more total crashes, 403, than any intersection on the list. —Craig Shoup, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025

Verb

This works best for larger pike fillets (pike in the 22-inch to 30-inch range). —Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 15 Sep. 2023

Don't let your hips drop or pike up; pull your belly button up toward your spine and push the floor away from you with your hands. —Mallory Creveling, Health, 3 Sep. 2023

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

Rhymes for pike

• bike
• dike
• hike
• ike
• like
• mike
• psych
• pyke
• shrike
• spike
• strike
• tike

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