any of several large, slender, voracious freshwater fishes of the genus Esox, having a long, flat snout.
any of various superficially similar fishes, as the walleye or pikeperch.
a toll road or highway; turnpike.
a tollgate on a turnpike.
the toll paid at a tollgate.
a sharply pointed projection or spike.
the pointed end of anything, as of an arrow or a spear.
James Albert, 1913–69, U.S. Protestant Episcopal clergyman, lawyer, and author.
Zebulon Montgomery 1779–1813, U.S. general and explorer.
a medieval weapon consisting of an iron or steel spearhead joined to a long pole, the pikestaff
a point or spike
any of several large predatory freshwater teleost fishes of the genus Esox, esp E. lucius ( northern pike ), having a broad flat snout, strong teeth, and an elongated body covered with small scales: family Esocidae
any of various similar fishes
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English; so called from its pointed snout ( see pike 5)
First recorded in 1505–15; from Middle French pique, feminine variant of pic “a pointed tool,” from Germanic. See pick 2, pike 5, pique 1
An Americanism dating back to 1820–30; short for turnpike
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; special use of pike 5; compare Old English hornpīc “pinnacle”
First recorded before 900; Middle English pik “pick, spike, (pilgrim's) staff,” Old English pīc “pointed tool”; see pick 2
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English pyke (intransitive); perhaps originally “to equip oneself with a walking stick”; see pike 5
First recorded in 1955–60; perhaps special use of pike 1
A pike was a long, spear-like weapon that infantry troops used in the medieval and Renaissance eras. Fighting with a pike while riding a horse required great balance. The difference between a pike and a spear is that a pike must be held with two hands in order to be thrust in the direction of an enemy fighter. The pointed end of a pike or spear is also known as a pike. It might seem confusing that a pike is also a type of freshwater fish, until you see the pike's sharp, pointed (pike-like) nose. In transportation, pike can refer to a highway. Finally, pike can mean a position in gymnastics or diving in which an athlete bends at the waist with toes pointed. The Old English root, piic, means "point."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But if it’s part of a larger pattern of opacity, instability and conflicting messaging, something larger might be coming down the pike.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 12, 2026
“The market is thinking there’s a lot more downside coming down the pike than upside on inflation,” Skyler Weinand, chief investment officer of Regan Capital, said in a phone interview.
From MarketWatch ● May 12, 2026
I will not switch the topic to the NBA Lottery or the French Open or tell you about the northern pike my son caught this weekend at Lake Monona.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
They compared those findings with samples taken from pike in the same river about ten years earlier.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 25, 2026
Mara nodded to confirm, and Smithy returned into the cloud to hammer in the last pike.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
The BBC's political correspondent Joe Pike outlines the highs and lows of his premiership.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
“The market is removing a bit of risk premium priced into yields,” said Scott Pike, senior portfolio manager at Income Research & Management.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 15, 2026
Her work expanded beyond stories connected to Iran, including "Radioactive", a 2019 biopic about pioneering radioactivity researcher and Nobel-prize winner Marie Curie, starring Rosamund Pike.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
But Ms. Pike is terrific, as are Ms. Shaw, Mr. Dance and Mr. Baron Cohen, an agile comedian in a production that isn’t particularly taxing, except as regards our expectations for fully original comedy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Pike and a friend came running down the box alley, drawn by the smoke, and I was trapped.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
She added: “Probably done 100 Yurchenko double pikes, and the first one and then the last one I’ve done, they all feel the same — scary.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2024
Wooden pikes floated up next to store windows.
From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2023
One gun did not give its possessor an advantage in battle over opponents armed with swords, pikes, or lances.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022
Before every event, players serving as “reeves” — a sort of referee — conduct a weapons check to make sure the swords, pikes, arrows and other implements comply with strict safety requirements.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 29, 2018
I noticed several other pikes, designed to stake into the dirt around the middle pillar, creating a hole at the top for smoke to escape.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Here’s what happened: First, my stomach sank as the Russian Olympic Committee’s normally-stunning Nikita Nagornyy debuted his triple back piked salto—only to almost sit down the landing and stumble out of bounds multiple times.
From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2021
Almost 20 years later, Memmel hopes to add her name to a new type of piked Arabian.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 27, 2020
The 'firework' 3.5 somersault with one twist routine replaces what had become known as his 'demon' dive - a piked 2.5 somersault, 2.5 twist routine - which Taylor actually invented.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2015
She soared so high on her first release, flipping herself up and back over the bar, her legs piked, that she could have reached out and touched her toes before grabbing the bar.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 9, 2012
Peter dug his crutches into the turf and piked hard.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
It’s been done, though, by little, pettifogging shysters, by piking real-estate crooks—thousands of parcels of property scattered all over the United States have been filched in that manner.
From 'Firebrand' Trevison by Ivory, P. V. E. (Percy Van Eman)
Germans have spies "piking off" our Embassies in Paris, London and Petrograd.
From Face to Face with Kaiserism by Gerard, James W. (James Watson)
I say, Rube, let's you and I be piking it for the college.
From Over the Line by Sherman, Harold Morrow
The topography was nearly as broken, in its way, as the natural "piking" spread over it, and very beautiful with the dense forests lighted by the slanting yellow rays of the afternoon sun.
From Cave Regions of the Ozarks and Black Hills by Owen, Luella Agnes
I had been piking along and while I was giving my little firm entire satisfaction, I was not pleasing myself with what I was doing.
From Tales of the Road by Crewdson, Charles N. (Charles Newman)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
