1
as in stabs
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 stimulates
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
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Recent Examples of spikes
Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Erika Edwards, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026
Flexible, unrestricted funding helps nonprofits weather uncertainty, retain talent, and respond when demand spikes.
—Cat Ward, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
As a fiber-rich whole grain that's high in volume but relatively low in calories, popcorn can help people feel fuller on fewer calories, which is especially helpful after workouts, when hunger often spikes.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Chatbots must respond quickly even when user traffic spikes.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
If the stem is still green after the bloom, check it for any unused nodes (green and plump bumps) on the flower spikes.
—Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 20 Jan. 2026
Collating evidence of rigging becomes near-impossible when police road spikes and armored cars block every exit.
—Charles Onyango-Obbo, semafor.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Early in January, attraction spikes within your social circles or through a connection that feels easy, familiar and exciting all at once.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Although consumers may initially benefit from such a drop in global oil prices, the resulting collapse in American oil production would make future price spikes more likely.
—Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
Noun
The team identified a continuous midline feature that began as a fleshy crest along the neck and trunk and transitioned over the hips into a single row of spikes running down the tail — each spike positioned over a single vertebra and fitted to each other.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
Surveillance data from the past several flu seasons shows upticks in flu in January and February after late December spikes.
—Erika Edwards, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026
Flexible, unrestricted funding helps nonprofits weather uncertainty, retain talent, and respond when demand spikes.
—Cat Ward, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
As a fiber-rich whole grain that's high in volume but relatively low in calories, popcorn can help people feel fuller on fewer calories, which is especially helpful after workouts, when hunger often spikes.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Chatbots must respond quickly even when user traffic spikes.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
If the stem is still green after the bloom, check it for any unused nodes (green and plump bumps) on the flower spikes.
—Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 20 Jan. 2026
Collating evidence of rigging becomes near-impossible when police road spikes and armored cars block every exit.
—Charles Onyango-Obbo, semafor.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Early in January, attraction spikes within your social circles or through a connection that feels easy, familiar and exciting all at once.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Although consumers may initially benefit from such a drop in global oil prices, the resulting collapse in American oil production would make future price spikes more likely.
—Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spikes
Noun
-
After that, officials decided to use tranquilizer darts to take down the animals believed to be the three adults in the pack before euthanizing them.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Mocha pinstripe trousers with subtle side darts and a baby blue track jacket sound like unlikely bedfellows.—
Alison Syrett Cleary,
InStyle,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
File and use Another reason for rate jumps comes from Texas’ philosophy to favor insurance companies over consumers.—
Dave Lieber,
Dallas Morning News,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Incarnating a character like this, involves a lot of jumps into an unknown abyss of a play, of a game, of a world that’s been created, and every day there is a risk.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Milo tries to be a hero, trying to use pepper spray on Morgan, but Morgan stabs and kills him.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Percy, now carrying the Golden Fleece, runs toward the elevator, but Luke stabs him through the closing doors.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
When applied to the scalp, minoxidil increases blood flow and stimulates your hair follicles to regrow hair.—
Caroline C. Boyle,
USA Today,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The two ingredients are packed with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to help support a healthy scalp and promote blood circulation, which stimulates hair follicles.—
Melony Forcier,
InStyle,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Using tools only of stone, bone, and shell, Islanders made wooden spears and clubs, and canoes built from planks stitched together with plant fibers and fitted with outriggers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Other examples of ancient wooden tools include a set of spears from Germany and 300,000-year-old Chinese digging sticks that may have been used to harvest plants.—
Adithi Ramakrishnan,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Designations are granted for terms of six, 12 or 18 months, and extensions can be granted so long as conditions remain dire.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Designations are granted for terms of six, 12 or 18 months, and extensions can be granted so long as conditions remain dire.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But Anderson punctures his weed haze with the bright light of a past that in actuality never dimmed, when Lockjaw begins to hunt Pat and Willa.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
24 Nov. 2025
-
Recounting his visit with Shelton’s body after she’d been taken off of life support in From Bleak to Dark, Maron punctures the somber scene with a joke about taking a selfie.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Warhorses charge, lances down, crashing through the tilts as lances break on shields and men topple from their steeds.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Three or four decades ago, the newspaperman was appealingly raffish—at once a bum who drank too much and a knight-errant who charged unafraid at social injustice, succored the weak, and crossed lances with the powerful and arrogant.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spikes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spikes. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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