spike

¹ American  

[spahyk] / spaɪk /

noun

1. a naillike fastener, 3 to 12 inches (7.6 to 30.5 centimeters) long and proportionately thicker than a common nail, for fastening together heavy timbers or railroad track.

2. something resembling such a nail; a stiff, sharp-pointed piece or part.

   to set spikes in the top of a cement wall.

3. a sharp-pointed piece of metal set with the point outward, as on a weapon.

4. an abrupt increase or rise.

   a chart showing a spike of unusual activity in the stock market; a sudden spike of electrical current.

5. a rectangular or naillike metal projection on the heel and sole of a shoe for improving traction, as of a baseball player or a runner.

6. spikes, a pair of shoes having such projections.

7. the unbranched antler of a young deer.

8. Botany. a flower stalk.

9. a pointed portion of a continuous curve or graph, usually rising above the adjacent portion.

   a spike in the value of the voltage.

10. Volleyball. a hard smash, hit close to the net, almost straight down into the opponent's court.

11. Slang. a hypodermic needle.

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verb (used with object)

• spikes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• spiked,
  past participle,  past
• spiking
  present participle

1. to fasten or secure with a spike or spikes.

2. to provide or set with a spike or spikes.

3. to pierce with or impale on a spike.

4. to set or stud with something suggesting spikes.

5. to injure (another player or a competitor) with the spikes of one's shoe, as in baseball.

6. Volleyball. to hit (a ball in the air) with a powerful, overarm motion from a position close to the net so as to cause it to travel almost straight down into the court of the opponents.

7. Football. to slam (the ball) to the ground in the end zone, after scoring a touchdown.

8. to render (a muzzle-loading gun) useless by driving a spike into the touchhole.

9. to make ineffective; frustrate or thwart.

   to spike a rumor; to spike someone's chances for promotion.

10. Informal.

    1. to add alcoholic liquor to (a drink).

    2. to add (a chemical, poison, or other substance) to.

       The cocoa was spiked with cyanide.

11. Journalism Slang. to refuse (a story) by or as if by placing on a spindle.

verb (used without object)

• spikes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• spiked,
  past participle,  past
• spiking
  present participle

1. to rise or increase sharply (often followed byup ).

   Interest rates spiked up last week.

idioms

1. spike someone's guns. gun.

spike ² American  

[spahyk] / spaɪk /

noun

1. an ear, as of wheat or other grain.

2. Botany. an inflorescence in which the flowers are without a stalk, or apparently so, along an elongated, unbranched axis.

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spike ¹ British  

/ spaɪk /

noun

1. a sharp point

2. any sharp-pointed object, esp one made of metal

3. a long metal nail

4. physics

   1. a transient variation in voltage or current in an electric circuit

   2. a graphical recording of this, such as one of the peaks on an electroencephalogram

5. (plural) shoes with metal projections on the sole and heel for greater traction, as used by athletes

6. the straight unbranched antler of a young deer

7. slang another word for dosshouse

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verb

1. to secure or supply with or as with spikes

2. to render ineffective or block the intentions of; thwart

3. to impale on a spike

4. to add alcohol to (a drink)

5. journalism to reject (a news story)

6. volleyball to hit (a ball) sharply downwards with an overarm motion from the front of one's own court into the opposing court

7. (formerly) to render (a cannon) ineffective by blocking its vent with a spike

8. to thwart someone's purpose

spike ² British  

/ spaɪk /

noun

1. an inflorescence consisting of a raceme of sessile flowers, as in the gladiolus and sedges

2. an ear of wheat, barley, or any other grass that has sessile spikelets

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spike Scientific  

/ spīk /

1. An elongated indeterminate inflorescence in which the flowers are attached directly to a common stem, rather than borne on individual stalks arising from the stem. The gladiolus produces spikes. The distinctive spikes of grasses such as wheat or barley are known as spikelets.

2. See illustration at inflorescence

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• spikelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• spiking
  present
• spiked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• spike
  simple
• spikes
  simple
• have spiked
  perfect
• has spiked
  perfect
• am spiking
  progressive
• are spiking
  progressive
• is spiking
  progressive
• have been spiking
  perfect progressive
• has been spiking
  perfect progressive

Past

• spiked
  simple
• had spiked
  perfect
• was spiking
  progressive
• were spiking
  progressive
• had been spiking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will spike
  simple
• will have spiked
  perfect
• will be spiking
  progressive
• will have been spiking
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of spike¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun spik(e), from Old Norse spīkr “nail”; akin to Old Norse spīk “splinter,” Middle Low German spīker “nail”

Origin of spike²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English spik(e), spika, probably special use of spike ¹, influenced by Latin spīca “ear of grain”

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Explanation

A spike is a sharp point, often made of metal or wood, but not always. Hedgehogs have long skinny spikes that keep them from being eaten by predators. The wide metal nails that fasten railroad ties to rails are called "rail spikes." A spike can be big like those rail spikes, or small like the ones on the bottom of a cleat. And, extremely high-heeled shoes are sometimes called "spike heels." When something increases and abruptly decreases, like the price of sugar or a fever, it spikes. To spike a volleyball, smash it over the net. Spike shares a root with the Latin spina, for "spine or thorn."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spike spikes spiked spiking

A move to free up so-called shadow tankers would “cool the freight spike that is currently propping up delivered prices,” Phil Flynn of the Price Futures Group says in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Jeliazkov said the war could also be felt in the village through a spike in the cost of living.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

The UK's data watchdog is investigating a spike in complaints about "robo calls" - where a recorded voice asks you to add them on WhatsApp - that are suspected to lead to a recruitment scam.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Even without the federal subsidies, the used EV market has been brisk — thanks largely to the spike in gas prices, as my colleague Caroline Petrow-Cohen has reported.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

Miners in Western Pennsylvania lost what little leverage they had gained and any hope of a new pay increase to cover the spike in prices over the last few years.

From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell

The fires have burned through hundreds of thousands of hectares in Indonesia and caused air pollution spikes in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and East Timor, where schools closed this week due to the haze.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

The findings offer a clearer biological explanation for why eating fat before carbohydrates may help reduce blood sugar spikes.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

To keep our electronics safe, we have a whole-house surge protector, which filters out sudden electrical spikes in the grid that can harm our appliances.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

And yet, despite a crisis of power outages, severe fuel shortages and dramatic price spikes, life in Cuba goes on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Hanako always cut his nails into sharp spikes, because he liked them like that.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

Singapore's air pollution spiked at 236 on IQAir's Air Quality Index level into very unhealthy levels at around 0230 GMT on Friday.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Prices for already scarce food spiked; many went without.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Then, in an 0-and-2 count to Ozzie Albies, Glasnow spiked a curveball in front of the plate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

But when rents spiked after the pandemic, the East Lansing native watched longtime friends in the area move out of town.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

Alice, holding Lyra, had retreated further up the slope, but the open space was not very large: close-branched holm oaks with spiked leaves crowded in on all sides.

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman

DWP says its recent high bills are driven by spiking power use during the record-breaking summer heat, especially for air conditioning, not by rate increases.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

And they forecast that this year’s event could be the strongest on record, spiking sea temperatures far above normal.

From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026

When rates began spiking in 2022, the housing market ground to a halt, with many buyers expecting them to eventually fall back down to the levels they were used to.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

We haven’t seen a “spike peak” buy signal since early last June — an extraordinarily long time for VIX to go without spiking upward on some negative news or rumor of some sort.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

Finally, the camera turned toward the end zone to catch Antoine spiking the ball.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor

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