spike
noun
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.
spiked
-
past participleof spike.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
-
past tense formof spike.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
spikenouna 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.
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.
She has a few roommates in a small house in an artsy east side neighborhood, where her detergent-blue ombré haircut and spiked septum piercing are de rigueur.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Sales of tinned food, radios and torches spiked in some shops after the UK government advised households what to stock up on in case of a national emergency.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
As prices spiked higher in mid-July, RSI rose with them and peaked at fourth-month high of 75.54 on July 23.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
South Korea's SK hynix and Samsung both surged, while Kioxia, Advantest and SoftBank spiked in Japan -- having all been pummelled since the start of last week.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
But immediately after September 11 of that year, the rate spiked a full 2 percent and hasn’t slipped much since.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
