1
as in stabbed
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object
scorpions use their stinger-equipped tails to spike their prey
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in stimulated
to give life, vigor, or spirit to
he spiked what otherwise would have been a dry economic lecture with some jokes and anecdotes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spiked
Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 4 May 2026
But the move to the Denver Coliseum and the ability to play most of their home games on Saturdays spiked attendance.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 15 May 2026
March marked the largest one-month increase in retail spending in more than three years, largely because gas prices spiked higher rapidly.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiked
Adjective
The effective closure of the Strait has roiled global markets, spiked oil prices, and curtailed the flow of agricultural and petrochemical products around the world.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 4 May 2026
But the move to the Denver Coliseum and the ability to play most of their home games on Saturdays spiked attendance.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026
Verb
Beginning with 2-year Treasuries, the notes spiked overnight Thursday to more than 4%, their highest for the year-to-date.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 15 May 2026
March marked the largest one-month increase in retail spending in more than three years, largely because gas prices spiked higher rapidly.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiked
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiked
Adjective
-
This will be a bumper quarter for oil and gas shareholders, who have always learned to stick it out through the doldrums for spikey periods like this.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
19 Mar. 2026
-
But a few things stick out as incorrect: The costume Diplo is wearing in the video does not match the actual, taller and spikier grassy costumes worn during the show.—
Katie Bain,
Billboard,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Three people were stabbed on a Rhode Island beach Tuesday as hundreds of teenagers packed the area, forcing beachgoers to flee.—
Louis Casiano , Brooke Taylor,
FOXNews.com,
20 May 2026
-
Police say Brewer and a co-defendant robbed the victim after he was stabbed.—
Erik Ortiz,
NBC news,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Economic development will be stimulated by large infrastructure investments, but energy and other resources will be strained.—
Chuck Brooks,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
-
When people spend long periods in activities that require very little mental effort, those pathways may not be stimulated in the same way.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Misogyny runs deep, quiet, local, and sharp as barbed wire.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
-
Surveillance camera footage captured Mott scaling an 8-foot fence topped with barbed wire at the perimeter of the airport in just 15 seconds, then walking across the runway.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
In a hall occasionally pierced by air-raid sirens warning of Russian strikes, the event has united Ukraine’s most prominent galleries, artists, collectors, and cultural institutions.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 May 2026
-
Steve died in September 2006 after a stingray's tail pierced his chest and caused a fatal injury to his heart while filming a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef, when Robert was 2 years old.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
My grandmother stirred pots at dawn with instinct and devotion.—
Vikas Khanna,
Time,
13 May 2026
-
The fast-moving process has stirred concern among residents and advocacy groups, who say the search for a new supplier could sideline public input.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
But the storms that lash the unpeopled coasts and jagged mountains of our Fiftieth State are no respecters of men, even the best of us.—
Ben East,
Outdoor Life,
14 May 2026
-
From the beginning, the Palisades, with its Mediterranean climate and jagged coastline, lured the most adventurous of settlers, each generation reshaping it in its own image.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Vanderbilt suffered a dislocated right pinkie, team sources confirmed, with photos and video appearing to show the joint having punctured the skin.—
Dan Woike,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
-
By the end of the learning unit, Burton said growth in the children could be seen as their vocabularies expanded to using words such as thermometer, blood pressure and punctured.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spiked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiked. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
