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
John Strege
c
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
Katherine J. Wu4
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
spiked; spiking
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°
: to increase sharply
battery sales spiked after the storm
spiker
noun
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
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 WebLisa Cericola, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2024
Their ruling, expected by late June, will also affect a similar case in Texas and could have wide implications amid a spike in complaints that pregnant women have been turned away from emergency rooms care since Roe was overturned.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 25 Apr. 2024
Micron was founded back in 1978, in the middle of a spike in demand for semiconductors as driven by a booming consumer electronics sector.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 25 Apr. 2024
As a result, lead leached from pipes and fixtures, causing a spike in blood lead levels, which is especially harmful to the brain development of children.
—Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 24 Apr. 2024
In the first quarter, inventory grew by 18.5 percent compared to last year, while non-luxury homes saw a substantially smaller 2.7 spike in new listings, according to the report.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 2024
When the working group announced its decision to plant a golden spike in Crawford Lake, outlets from the Hindustan Times to Deutsche Welle ran stories on the choice.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024
But why does opening your wallet at the gas station become more painful during certain times of the year, and what is driving the recent fuel spike?
—Kristin J. Bender, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
More:Jewish groups increase security after swatting spree of hundreds of false bomb threats
Antisemitic incidents on campuses tripled in 2023
The ADL's audit revealed that antisemitic incidents increased in multiple settings in 2023, but schools experienced a drastic spike.
—Rachel Barber, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 12 Apr. 2024
Get The Recipe 06 of 12 Retro Rum Punch
Get your New Year's party going with this retro punch recipe spiked with a dose of nostalgia.
—Michelle Darrisaw, Southern Living, 11 Apr. 2024
Child labor violations tracked by the federal government have spiked nationally, including investigations tied to Wisconsin.
—Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2024
Internet searches for the condition have spiked, as Kennedy and his gravelly voice have become regular staples on the news.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
When the last total solar eclipse cut a path across America in 2017, AT&T reported network usage spikes up to 15% around certain cell towers in the path of totality.
—John Towfighi, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
At Arizona, his attempts and accuracy spiked: 36 of 93, or 38.7 percent.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
On Saturday, the pollen index will spike to a 8.1, and Sunday’s pollen index will be at a 7.9.
—Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 5 Apr. 2024
Food allergies, which can be deadly, have also spiked.
—Kari Nadeau, STAT, 4 Apr. 2024
Noun
This stunning Salvia variety has a neat but vigorous plant habit, lush green foliage covered with burgundy-red flowers, and spikes from April to November.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2024
Their ruling, expected by late June, will also affect a similar case in Texas and could have wide implications amid a spike in complaints that pregnant women have been turned away from emergency rooms care since Roe was overturned.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 25 Apr. 2024
Micron was founded back in 1978, in the middle of a spike in demand for semiconductors as driven by a booming consumer electronics sector.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 25 Apr. 2024
As a result, lead leached from pipes and fixtures, causing a spike in blood lead levels, which is especially harmful to the brain development of children.
—Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 24 Apr. 2024
In the first quarter, inventory grew by 18.5 percent compared to last year, while non-luxury homes saw a substantially smaller 2.7 spike in new listings, according to the report.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 2024
When the working group announced its decision to plant a golden spike in Crawford Lake, outlets from the Hindustan Times to Deutsche Welle ran stories on the choice.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024
But why does opening your wallet at the gas station become more painful during certain times of the year, and what is driving the recent fuel spike?
—Kristin J. Bender, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
More:Jewish groups increase security after swatting spree of hundreds of false bomb threats
Antisemitic incidents on campuses tripled in 2023
The ADL's audit revealed that antisemitic incidents increased in multiple settings in 2023, but schools experienced a drastic spike.
—Rachel Barber, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Verb
Of note, oil companies’ earnings have spiked in the past two years following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which threatened an energy crisis.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 12 Apr. 2024
Get The Recipe 06 of 12 Retro Rum Punch
Get your New Year's party going with this retro punch recipe spiked with a dose of nostalgia.
—Michelle Darrisaw, Southern Living, 11 Apr. 2024
Child labor violations tracked by the federal government have spiked nationally, including investigations tied to Wisconsin.
—Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2024
Internet searches for the condition have spiked, as Kennedy and his gravelly voice have become regular staples on the news.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
When the last total solar eclipse cut a path across America in 2017, AT&T reported network usage spikes up to 15% around certain cell towers in the path of totality.
—John Towfighi, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
At Arizona, his attempts and accuracy spiked: 36 of 93, or 38.7 percent.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
On Saturday, the pollen index will spike to a 8.1, and Sunday’s pollen index will be at a 7.9.
—Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 5 Apr. 2024
Food allergies, which can be deadly, have also spiked.
—Kari Nadeau, STAT, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spike.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to spike
Dictionary Entries Near spike
Cite this Entry
“Spike.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spike. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spike
1 of 3 noun1
: 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 noun1
: 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
: 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)
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
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