SPIKE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does spike mean? 

• SPIKE (noun)
  The noun SPIKE has 11 senses:

1. a transient variation in voltage or current

2. sports equipment consisting of a sharp point on the sole of a shoe worn by athletes

3. fruiting spike of a cereal plant especially corn

4. (botany) an indeterminate inflorescence bearing sessile flowers on an unbranched axis

5. a sharp rise followed by a sharp decline

6. a very high narrow heel on women's shoes

7. each of the sharp points on the soles of athletic shoes to prevent slipping (or the shoes themselves)

8. a sharp-pointed projection along the top of a fence or wall (or a dinosaur)

9. a long, thin sharp-pointed implement (wood or metal)

10. any holding device consisting of a rigid, sharp-pointed object

11. a large stout nail

  Familiarity information: SPIKE used as a noun is familiar.

• SPIKE (verb)
  The verb SPIKE has 6 senses:

1. stand in the way of

2. pierce with a sharp stake or point

3. secure with spikes

4. bring forth a spike or spikes

5. add alcohol to (beverages)

6. manifest a sharp increase

  Familiarity information: SPIKE used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPIKE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A transient variation in voltage or current

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("spike" is a kind of...):

electrical discharge (a discharge of electricity)

Derivation:

spike (manifest a sharp increase)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Sports equipment consisting of a sharp point on the sole of a shoe worn by athletes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

spikes provide greater traction

Hypernyms ("spike" is a kind of...):

sports equipment (equipment needed to participate in a particular sport)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "spike"):

climber; climbing iron; crampon; crampoon (an iron spike attached to the shoe to prevent slipping on ice when walking or climbing)

piton (a metal spike with a hole for a rope; mountaineers drive it into ice or rock to use as a hold)

pricket (a sharp metal spike to hold a candle)

Holonyms ("spike" is a part of...):

shoe (footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Fruiting spike of a cereal plant especially corn

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

capitulum; ear; spike

Hypernyms ("spike" is a kind of...):

fruit (the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "spike"):

mealie (an ear of corn)

Holonyms ("spike" is a part of...):

corn; Indian corn; maize; Zea mays (tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times)

Derivation:

spike (bring forth a spike or spikes)

Sense 4

Meaning:

(botany) an indeterminate inflorescence bearing sessile flowers on an unbranched axis

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Hypernyms ("spike" is a kind of...):

inflorescence (the flowering part of a plant or arrangement of flowers on a stalk)

Meronyms (parts of "spike"):

spadix (the fleshy axis of a spike often surrounded by a spathe)

Domain category:

botany; phytology (the branch of biology that studies plants)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A sharp rise followed by a sharp decline

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Context example:

the seismograph showed a sharp spike in response to the temblor

Hypernyms ("spike" is a kind of...):

rise (a growth in strength or number or importance)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A very high narrow heel on women's shoes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

spike; spike heel; stiletto heel

Hypernyms ("spike" is a kind of...):

heel (the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Each of the sharp points on the soles of athletic shoes to prevent slipping (or the shoes themselves)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

golfers' spikes damage the putting greens

Hypernyms ("spike" is a kind of...):

point (sharp end)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "spike"):

gaff (a sharp metal spike or spur that is fastened to the leg of a gamecock)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A sharp-pointed projection along the top of a fence or wall (or a dinosaur)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("spike" is a kind of...):

projection (any structure that branches out from a central support)

Sense 9

Meaning:

A long, thin sharp-pointed implement (wood or metal)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

one of the spikes impaled him

Hypernyms ("spike" is a kind of...):

implement (instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end)

Derivation:

spike (pierce with a sharp stake or point)

Sense 10

Meaning:

Any holding device consisting of a rigid, sharp-pointed object

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

spike; spindle

Context example:

the spike pierced the receipts and held them in order

Hypernyms ("spike" is a kind of...):

holding device (a device for holding something)

Derivation:

spike (secure with spikes)

Sense 11

Meaning:

A large stout nail

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

they used spikes to fasten the rails to a railroad tie

Hypernyms ("spike" is a kind of...):

nail (a thin pointed piece of metal that is hammered into materials as a fastener)

Derivation:

spike (secure with spikes)

• SPIKE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they spike    ... he / she / it spikes   
Past simple: spiked   
Past participle: spiked   
-ing form: spiking   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Stand in the way of

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "spike" is one way to...):

banish; bar; relegate (expel, as if by official decree)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Pierce with a sharp stake or point

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

empale; impale; spike; transfix

Context example:

impale a shrimp on a skewer

Hypernyms (to "spike" is one way to...):

pierce; thrust (penetrate or cut through with a sharp instrument)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "spike"):

pin (pierce with a pin)

spear (pierce with a spear)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

spike (a long, thin sharp-pointed implement (wood or metal))

Sense 3

Meaning:

Secure with spikes

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "spike" is one way to...):

fasten; fix; secure (cause to be firmly attached)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

spike (a large stout nail)

spike (any holding device consisting of a rigid, sharp-pointed object)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Bring forth a spike or spikes

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

spike; spike out

Context example:

my hyacinths and orchids are spiking now

Hypernyms (to "spike" is one way to...):

develop (grow, progress, unfold, or evolve through a process of evolution, natural growth, differentiation, or a conducive environment)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

spike (fruiting spike of a cereal plant especially corn)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Add alcohol to (beverages)

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

fortify; lace; spike

Context example:

the punch is spiked!

Hypernyms (to "spike" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Domain category:

cookery; cooking; preparation (the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 6

Meaning:

Manifest a sharp increase

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

the voltage spiked

Hypernyms (to "spike" is one way to...):

increase (become bigger or greater in amount)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

spike (a transient variation in voltage or current)

 Context examples 

The temperature spike was especially prominent in the middle of the A ring.

(At Saturn, One of These Rings is not like the Others, NASA)

The structure revealed exactly where neutralizing antibodies succeed in recognizing the HIV spike.

(The Structure and Dynamics of HIV Surface Spikes, NIH)

In addition, the escaping magnesium and iron gas may contribute to the temperature spike.

(Hubble Uncovers a ‘Heavy Metal’ Exoplanet Shaped Like a Football, NASA)

A bad night’s sleep can also result in a spike in blood pressure that night and the following day, according to recent research.

(Deep Sleep May Play Role in Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

In addition to high blood sugar levels, researchers found that blood sugar levels often varied, spiking too high and dropping too low.

(Chronic high blood sugar may be detrimental to the developing brain of young children, NIH)

Air temperatures over the bay, though they had generally warmed over past decades, they hadn't spiked markedly in 2008 to 2012.

(Wind, Warm Water Revved Up Melting Antarctic Glaciers, NASA)

Strong winds in the Dry Valleys, however, can temporarily cause large spikes in the amount of locally produced black carbon, which is distributed through the ecosystem.

(Soot transported from elsewhere in world contributes little to melting of some Antarctic glaciers, National Science Foundation)

Also characteristic are outward projections of the membrane between the epithelial deposits in the form of "spikes".

(Membranous Glomerulonephritis, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

The device or component failed due to fluctuations within the power supply (e.g. transient power, power spike, power dip, or power sequencing).

(Device Power Fluctuation Evaluation Result, Food and Drug Administration)

The mechanisms and consequences of autophosphorylation are central to the CaMKII enzyme's complex regulatory behavior enabling it to become differentially activated at different frequencies and levels of calcium spikes.

(Calmodulin Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)