spike protein

American

[spahyk proh-teen] / ˈspaɪk ˈproʊ tin /

noun

plural

spike proteins

Microbiology. a protein present in some viruses that forms a projection which helps the virus bind to a host cell.

Other Word Forms

spike-protein

adjective

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

These include lingering virus in the body, ongoing low-level inflammation marked by elevated IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, and the formation of tiny blood clots caused by interactions between the viral spike protein and fibrinogen.

From Science Daily • Jan. 8, 2026

These vaccines weren’t designed to treat cancer but to teach the body to recognize the coronavirus spike protein.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025

And by blocking the virus’s replication, it reduces the amount of spike protein in circulation, actually having the opposite effect.

From Salon • Sep. 5, 2025

In August 2023, Jaxson enrolled in Yonker’s trial, after testing confirmed SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in his blood.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 11, 2024

Those proteins, like the spike protein targeted by COVID-19 vaccines, drive the immune response to infectious disease.

From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023