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 Web
Matthew Crowley, Louis Jacobson, Austin American-Statesman, 21 Nov. 2024
What's happening: The Trevor Project, an organization that serves LGBTQ+ young people, reported the largest spike in daily contact volume to its crisis services post-election.
—Avery Lotz, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
Henley & Partners, which claims to have invented the concept of citizenship-by-investment in the 1990s, said inquiries by US nationals via its website spiked almost 400% the week of the election compared with the prior week.
—Hanna Ziady, CNN, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for spike 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
An ideologically diverse cross-section of economists agrees that the American Rescue Plan added a couple of percentage points to inflation, but didn’t cause the wider spike.
—Matthew Crowley, Louis Jacobson, Austin American-Statesman, 21 Nov. 2024
What's happening: The Trevor Project, an organization that serves LGBTQ+ young people, reported the largest spike in daily contact volume to its crisis services post-election.
—Avery Lotz, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
Verb
In the days following the election, online searches by Americans looking to leave the country spiked after President-elect Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
Henley & Partners, which claims to have invented the concept of citizenship-by-investment in the 1990s, said inquiries by US nationals via its website spiked almost 400% the week of the election compared with the prior week.
—Hanna Ziady, CNN, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for spike
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 Nov. 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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