spike

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈspīk 

plural spikes

1

: a very large nail

2

a

: one of a row of pointed irons placed (as on the top of a wall) to prevent passage

b(1)

: one of several metal projections set in the sole and heel of a shoe to improve traction

(2)

spikes plural : a pair of shoes having spikes attached to the soles or soles and heels

They met when after a round of golf he came into the restaurant at which she worked—still wearing his golf spikes.

—John Strege

c

: spindle sense 1e

3

: something resembling a spike: such as

a

: a young mackerel not over six inches (15.2 centimeters) long

b

: an unbranched antler of a young deer

c

: spike protein

Without its spikes, the pathogen can't get into human cells.

—Katherine J. Wu

4

spikes plural : spike heel sense 2

5

: the act or an instance of spiking (as in volleyball)

6

a

: a pointed element in a graph or tracing

b

: an unusually high and sharply defined maximum (as of amplitude in a wave train)

7

slang : hypodermic needle

8

: a momentary sharp increase and fall in electric potential

also : action potential

9

: an abrupt sharp increase (as in prices or rates)

a spike in unemployment

a spike in the number of infections

spikelike

ˈspīk-ˌlīk 

adjective

spike

2 of 3

verb

spiked; spiking

transitive verb

1

: to fasten or furnish with spikes

2

a

: to disable (a muzzle-loading cannon) temporarily by driving a spike into the vent

b

: to suppress or block completely

spiked the rumor

3

a

: to pierce or impale with or on a spike

b

: to reject (a story) for publication or broadcast for editorial reasons

4

a

: to add an alcoholic beverage to (a drink)

spiked the punch

b

: to add a foreign substance to

spike the coffee with tranquilizers

c

: to add something highly reactive (such as a radioactive tracer) to

d

: to add vitality, zest, or spice to : liven

spiked the speech with humor

spike the broth with peppers

5

: to drive (something, such as a volleyball) sharply downward with a hard blow

also : to throw down sharply

spiked the ball in the end zone

6

: to undergo a sudden sharp increase in (temperature or fever)

the patient spiked a fever of 103°

intransitive verb

: to increase sharply

battery sales spiked after the storm

spiker noun

spike

3 of 3

noun (2)

1

: an ear of grain

2

: an elongated inflorescence similar to a raceme but having the flowers sessile on the main axis see inflorescence illustration

Synonyms

Verb

• gore
• harpoon
• impale
• jab
• lance
• peck
• pick
• pierce
• pink
• puncture
• run through
• skewer
• spear
• spit
• stab
• stick
• transfix
• transpierce

Examples of spike in a Sentence

Verb

Someone spiked the punch at the party.

The medication caused his blood pressure to spike.

She spiked the ball and scored the winning point.

After he scored a touchdown he spiked the ball in the end zone.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Service commanders are still working, however, to address what was a dramatic spike in 2022. —Lolita C. Baldor, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2024

The Matadors, behind a slew of Kannan spikes, stormed back to take a 2-0 lead. —Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 16 May 2024

And, of course, to get her purple fix are dramatic Pride of Madeira bushes with their long spikes of purple flowers. —Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2024

That’s because temperature spikes in the spring increase the rate of runoff, shortening that part of the season, while mild temperatures stretch it out. —John Meyer, The Denver Post, 10 May 2024

That object was a railroad spike, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay. —Pilar Arias, Fox News, 8 May 2024

The Anti-Defamation League tracked 163 antisemitic incidents in Arizona in 2023, a sharp spike from 53 such instances in the state only the year before. —Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 5 May 2024

Traditionally, most neuromorphic computers emulate the brain’s spiking nature: Neurons fire off electrical spikes to communicate with the neurons around them. —IEEE Spectrum, 8 May 2024

Two weeks ago the governor deployed CHP officers to Bakersfield which has reportedly seen a spike in car thefts and has higher rates of violent and property crime and more arrests compared to the statewide average.. —Anabel Sosa, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2024

Verb

Buyer demand remained strong, even after mortgage rates spiked Two years after the onset of the pandemic, the surge in buyer demand pushed home prices up sharply. —Genevieve Redsten, Journal Sentinel, 21 May 2024

Microsoft also needs to lessen the carbon intensity of manufacturing AI chips and building data centers; the company revealed in May that its CO2 emissions have spiked 30% since 2020, in large part because of those activities, jeopardizing its pledge to become carbon negative by 2030. —Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 20 May 2024

Even among those with high incomes to rent in any neighborhood, spiking rental increases and absentee landlords are affecting many, said Moreno. —Lisa Vernon Sparks, Charlotte Observer, 20 May 2024

Advertisement The race lost a lot of its intrigue on Wednesday when Muth, the morning-line favorite, scratched after spiking a fever. —John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2024

Turnover among election workers has spiked since 2020; even librarians describe feeling vulnerable. —Eileen Sullivan, New York Times, 19 May 2024

Chozen also spiked, becoming the second-fastest rising boys name, coming it at No. 813. —Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 10 May 2024

The rate of gun theft has tripled over almost a decade, increasing each year and spiking during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the report. —Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 10 May 2024

The song first spiked 107% to 277,000 official on-demand U.S. streams on April 30, according to Luminate, and then another 60% the following day to 444,000 – before dropping 45% to 247,000 on May 2, as the song goes back into semi-hibernation for the next 363 days. —Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 8 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, probably from Old Norse spīk splinter & spīkr spike; akin to Middle Dutch spiker spike — more at spoke

Noun (2)

Middle English spik, from Latin spica — more at spine

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1624, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing spike

• spike glycoprotein
• spike heel
• spike lavender
• spike protein
• spike someone's guns
• spike-tooth harrow

Kids Definition

spike

1 of 3 noun

ˈspīk 

1

: a very large nail

2

a

: one of the metal objects set in the sole and heel of a shoe (as a baseball shoe) to prevent slipping

b

plural : a pair of shoes having spikes

3

: an unbranched antler of a young deer

4

: the act or an instance of spiking (as in volleyball)

5

: a pointed element (as in a graph)

spike

2 of 3 verb

spiked; spiking

1

: to fasten or furnish with spikes

2

: to pierce or cut with or on a spike

3

: to add alcoholic liquor to a drink

4

: to drive (as a volleyball) sharply downward

5

: to increase sharply

battery sales spiked after the storm

spike

3 of 3 noun

1

: an ear of grain

2

: a long usually rather narrow cluster of flowers in which the blossoms grow close to the central stem

Etymology

Noun

Middle English spike "a large nail"; probably of Scandinavian origin

Noun

Middle English spik "a head of a stalk of grain, ear," from Latin spica (same meaning)

Medical Definition

spike

1 of 2 noun

ˈspīk 

: a change (as in voltage) involving a sharp increase and fall or a recording of this: as

a

: the pointed element in the wave tracing in an electroencephalogram

b

: a sharp increase in body temperature followed by a rapid fall

a fever with spikes to 103°

c(1)

: the sharp increase and fall in the recorded action potential of a stimulated nerve cell that during the increasing phase corresponds to an inrush of sodium ions to the interior of the cell and during the decreasing phase corresponds to a slowing of the influx of sodium ions and to an increasing efflux of potassium ions to the exterior

(2)

: action potential

spike

2 of 2 transitive verb

spiked; spiking

: to undergo a sudden sharp increase in (temperature or fever) usually up to an indicated level

infected patients spiked fevers as high as 105°F