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

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”

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

“Our second-quarter results were defined by a fuel spike outside our control – but underneath it, this company is executing better than ever,” Chief Executive Officer Ben Minicucci said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

The tournament produced a spike in the sales of fake shirts and kits, but the Fire Service has warned that these items are far more flammable and dangerous than the genuine articles.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Still, the majority of the homicide spike took place before June 2020, when protests over Floyd’s death spread nationwide.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

“We are reasonably optimistic on the consumer outlook, though momentum may wane in the back half of the year if gas prices spike again, without a buffer from tax refunds,” Reid wrote.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

Mabelee, who could not have measured five feet tall in spike heels, practically needed a steplad- der to get up to his mouth.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

One Goldman Sachs economist examined the risk of those price spikes becoming normalized.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

The spikes, designed to maximise his biomechanics, featured a carbon plate and aggressive rocker for propulsion, and titanium pins to keep the shoe light.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

Also, your heart rate spikes, your blood pressure soars, the blood vessels in your extremities constrict to keep warm blood near your core and you begin to gasp involuntarily.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

The high-pressure system that’s causing temperature spikes, Ciliberti said, is also depressing much of the particulate matter, pushing it closer to the ground.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

But when my adrenaline spikes, like it is now, when my body feels fight and flight in the same instant, everything falls into sharp focus.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

When the share price spiked on 16 June, SpaceX announced it was acquiring Cursor, a start-up that created an AI bot for writing computer code, in an all-stock deal valued at $60bn.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Indeed, Emanuel has looked at how various sectors perform after oil has spiked to more than 40% above its 24-MMA and then pulled back.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

By the time European Council leaders met again at the Space Egg in March, Trump’s airstrikes on Iran had spiked fuel prices across the continent and Chancellor Merz was furious.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Chip stocks, meanwhile, have spiked as hardware demand soars.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

It opens its mouth to reveal a spiked tongue and a few pointed fangs the size of backpacks.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

U.S.-traded oil futures rose $3.08, or 4.4% to $73.52 a barrel after spiking by as much as 8% at the peak of the session.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

The cost of funding a long position in the S&P 500 is spiking alarmingly and investors should pay more attention to this warning sign than they are at present.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

The Middle East crisis brought spiking inflation and the risk of spiralling conflict close to home for Pakistan.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

Using this approach, the researchers demonstrated for the first time that a single transistor can reproduce the energy efficient "spiking" activity of biological neurons at temperatures as low as 10mK.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026

Tiny dominating at dodgeball despite his width, and always letting me finish second just by virtue of putting me in his shadow and not spiking me until the end.

From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan