What does "spike" mean?
A sort of very large nail.
Spike
/spaɪk/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A sort of very large nail.
- Grammar: spike is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: adulterate, aflicker, ament, annul.
- Useful contrasts: bluntness, correct, decline.
- Usage evidence: He makes a good volleyball player because he can jump high and spike the ball.
How to use "spike"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "spike" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "spike" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "spike" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "spike" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "spike" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "adulterate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "spike", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A sort of very large nail.
- 2 sports equipment consisting of a sharp point on the sole of a shoe worn by athletes wordnet
- 3 A piece of pointed metal etc. set with points upward or outward.
"The trap was lined with spikes."
- 4 a large stout nail wordnet
- 5 Anything resembling such a nail in shape. broadly
"He vvears on his head the Corona Radiata, vvhich at that time vvas another type of his Divinity. The ſpikes that ſhoot out from the crovvn vvere to repreſent the rays of the Sun."
Show 25 more definitions
- 6 any holding device consisting of a rigid, sharp-pointed object wordnet
- 7 An ear of corn or grain.
- 8 a long, thin sharp-pointed implement (wood or metal) wordnet
- 9 A kind of inflorescence in which sessile flowers are arranged on an unbranched elongated axis.
- 10 a sharp-pointed projection along the top of a fence or wall (or a dinosaur) wordnet
- 11 A running shoe with spikes in the sole to provide grip. in-plural, informal
- 12 each of the sharp points on the soles of athletic shoes to prevent slipping (or the shoes themselves) wordnet
- 13 A sharp peak in a graph.
- 14 a very high narrow heel on women's shoes wordnet
- 15 A surge in power or in the price of a commodity, etc.; any sudden and brief change that would be represented by a sharp peak on a graph.
"If the border were shut down, consumers would most likely see an immediate spike in food prices, and supplies of fresh food could dwindle from grocery store shelves in a matter of days."
- 16 a transient variation in voltage or current wordnet
- 17 The rod-like protrusion from a woman's high-heeled shoe that elevates the heel.
- 18 a sharp rise followed by a sharp decline wordnet
- 19 A long nail for storing papers by skewering them; (by extension) the metaphorical place where rejected newspaper articles are sent.
"It was all true, it appeared. He sat down and wrote it, the editor read it and said: ' We don't use stories like this in this newspaper.' So the story ended up on the spike, reinforcing the principle that wife-swapping, unlike justice, must not be seen to be done."
- 20 (botany) an indeterminate inflorescence bearing sessile flowers on an unbranched axis wordnet
- 21 An attack from, usually, above the height of the net performed with the intent to send the ball straight to the floor of the opponent or off the hands of the opposing block.
- 22 fruiting spike of a cereal plant especially corn wordnet
- 23 An adolescent male deer.
- 24 The casual ward of a workhouse. historical, slang
"Dere's tay spikes, and cocoa spikes, and skilly spikes."
- 25 Spike lavender.
"oil of spike"
- 26 Synonym of endpin.
- 27 A mark indicating where a prop or other item should be placed on stage.
"Sometimes actors set props on the spikes, or sometimes a deckhand will do it, depending on the action of the play."
- 28 A small project that uses the simplest possible program to explore potential solutions.
"An architectural spike is used to prove that a specific technical approach works. Teams will often do an architectural spike when they have a few different options for designing a specific technical solution, or if they don't know if a certain approach will work."
- 29 An excessively high church Anglican.
"Here we see an Anglo-Catholic spike cocking a snook at authority, getting away with it, and probably exercising an important liturgical and sacramental ministry – at least by his own lights – to some of the troops on the Western Front."
- 30 a structure projecting from the surface of an enveloped virus, which binds to host cells.
Verb
- 1 To fasten with spikes, or long, large nails.
"to spike down planks"
- 2 manifest a sharp increase wordnet
- 3 To set or furnish with spikes.
- 4 add alcohol to (beverages) wordnet
- 5 To embed nails into (a tree) so that any attempt to cut it down will damage equipment or injure people.
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 bring forth a spike or spikes wordnet
- 7 To fix on a spike.
"He spiked the story on the “dead” hook and answered his interphone."
- 8 secure with spikes wordnet
- 9 To discard; to decide not to publish or make public. figuratively
"Nicolaas, or Nick, as the family called him, wanted to turn professional but an ear injury, sustained during the war, spiked his plans."
- 10 pierce with a sharp stake or point wordnet
- 11 To increase sharply.
"Traffic accidents spiked in December when there was ice on the roads."
- 12 stand in the way of wordnet
- 13 To add alcohol or a drug into a drink, especially if covertly.
"She spiked my lemonade with vodka!"
- 14 To add a small amount of one substance to another.
"The water sample to be tested has been spiked with arsenic, antimony, mercury, and lead in quantities commonly found in industrial effluents."
- 15 To attack from, usually, above the height of the net with the intent to send the ball straight to the floor of the opponent or off the hands of the opposing block.
- 16 To render (a gun) unusable by driving a metal spike into its touch hole.
"He jumped down, wrenched the hammer from the armourer's hand, and seizing a nail from the bag, in a few moments he had spiked the gun."
- 17 To slam the football to the ground, usually in celebration of scoring a touchdown, or to stop expiring time on the game clock after snapping the ball as to save time for the losing team to attempt to score the tying or winning points. slang
"to spike the football"
- 18 To inject a drug with a syringe. slang
Proper Noun
- 1 A male nickname.
"This book contains mostly humorous animal poems by poets such as Spike Milligan, Theodore Roethke, and Rudyard Kipling."
- 2 A surname transferred from the nickname.
Example
"He makes a good volleyball player because he can jump high and spike the ball."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "spike"?
Common synonyms include: adulterate, aflicker, ament, annul, auger, auricle.
How do you use "spike" in a sentence?
He makes a good volleyball player because he can jump high and spike the ball.
How do you pronounce "spike"?
Pronounced /spaɪk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English spike, spyke, spik, from Old Norse spík (“spike, sprig”), from Proto-Germanic *spīkō (“stick, splinter, point”), from Proto-Indo-European *spey- (“to be pointed; sharp point, stick”). Cognate with Icelandic spík (“spike”), Swedish spik (“spike, nail”), Dutch spijker (“nail”), Old English spīcing (“spike”), and Latin spīca (“ear of corn”), which may have influenced some senses.
Etymology 2
From spike, variously from having spiky hair, being thin (like a railroad spike), etc.
Etymology 3
From spike, perhaps a nickname for a tall, thin person.