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 WebLolita 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
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
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
Shares of Reddit spiked by 11% in after hours, trading at $55, after the company crushed first-quarter-earnings expectations.
—Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 7 May 2024
New York drug overdose deaths spiked by 68% during COVID pandemic
A record number of Americans have died from drug overdoses.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 7 May 2024
His playing time and production spiked in his third collegiate season.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 6 May 2024
Food prices in Rafah were also spiking, Palestinians said.
—Michael Levenson, New York Times, 6 May 2024
Microsoft disclosed last September that its water usage had spiked 34%.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 1 May 2024
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
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
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
Shares of Reddit spiked by 11% in after hours, trading at $55, after the company crushed first-quarter-earnings expectations.
—Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 7 May 2024
New York drug overdose deaths spiked by 68% during COVID pandemic
A record number of Americans have died from drug overdoses.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 7 May 2024
His playing time and production spiked in his third collegiate season.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 6 May 2024
Food prices in Rafah were also spiking, Palestinians said.
—Michael Levenson, New York Times, 6 May 2024
Microsoft disclosed last September that its water usage had spiked 34%.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 1 May 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.
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Cite this Entry
“Spike.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spike. Accessed 23 May. 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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