Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An ear of grain, as of wheat.
  • noun Botany A usually elongated, unbranched inflorescence with stalkless flowers arranged along an axis.
  • noun A long, thick, sharp-pointed piece of wood or metal.
  • noun A heavy nail.
  • noun A spikelike part or projection, as.
  • noun A sharp-pointed projection along the top of a fence or wall.
  • noun A thin, sharp-pointed vertical rod for impaling papers; a spindle.
  • noun An elongate unbranched inflorescence with sessile flowers.
  • noun A thorn or spine.
  • noun A tuft of hair that is stiffened, as with hair spray or soap, into a point.
  • noun Slang A hypodermic needle.
  • noun One of several sharp metal projections set in the sole or in the sole and heel of an athletic shoe for grip.
  • noun A pair of athletic shoes having such projections.
  • noun A pair of spike heels.
  • noun An unbranched antler of a young deer.
  • noun A young mackerel of small size, usually 15 centimeters (6 inches) or less in length.
  • noun A sharp rise followed by a sharp decline in a graph or in the tracing of a scientific instrument.
  • noun A sharp momentary increase in voltage or electric current.
  • noun A sudden steep increase in prices.
  • noun Sports The act of driving a volleyball at a sharp angle into the opponent's court by jumping near the net and hitting the ball down hard from above.
  • noun Football The act of slamming the ball to the ground after succeeding in an important play, as after scoring a touchdown.
  • noun Football The act of deliberately throwing the ball to the ground as an incomplete pass in order to stop the game clock.
  • intransitive verb To secure or provide with a spike.
  • intransitive verb To shape into spikes.
  • intransitive verb To impale, pierce, or injure with a spike.
  • intransitive verb To injure with spiked shoes, especially when sliding in baseball.
  • intransitive verb To put an end to; terminate.
  • intransitive verb To add alcoholic liquor to.
  • intransitive verb To add a poison or other chemical to.
  • intransitive verb To add flavor or spice to.
  • intransitive verb To add excitement or vitality to.
  • intransitive verb Sports To hit (a volleyball) in a spike.
  • intransitive verb Football To throw (the ball) to the ground in a spike.
  • intransitive verb To render (a muzzleloading gun) useless by driving a spike into the vent.
  • intransitive verb To manifest or undergo a sudden increase in (something) followed by a sharp decrease.
  • intransitive verb To manifest or undergo a sudden increase followed by a sharp decrease.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A disease of the pineapple in which the plants are dwarfed and the leaves become narrow and crowded; also a disease which destroys sandalwood timber in India.
  • noun Same as spike-lavender.
  • noun A sharp point; a pike; a sharp-pointed projection.
  • noun A large nail or pin, generally of iron.
  • noun An ear, as of wheat or other grain.
  • noun In botany, a flower-cluster or form of inflorescence in which the flowers are sessile (or apparently so) along an elongated, unbranched common axis, as in the well-known mullen and plantain.
  • noun Hence A sprig of some plant in which the flowers form a spike or somewhat spike-like cluster: as, a spike of lavender.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Latin spīca.]

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old Norse spīk.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin spīca "ear of grain"

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Examples

  • Local Government Association chief John Ransford said there had been a "short term spike" in redundancies as councils made changes to cut long-term costs.

    BBC News - Home 2011

  • At first, OPM officials attributed the poor performance to what they described as a spike in traffic from first-time visitors and old members logging in to check passwords.

    The Washington Post: National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - The Washington Post Lisa Rein 2011

  • "The roll you get in the 'spike' is that 'ard you can't eat it nicely with less'n a pint of water," said the Carpenter, for my benefit.

    THE CARTER AND THE CARPENTER 2010

  • ` The roll you get in the "spike" is that 'ard you can't eat it nicely with less'n a pint of water,' said the Carpenter, for my benefit.

    The Carter and the Carpenter 1903

  • A short-term spike in borrowing costs is a manageable problem for Italy, since only a small part of its debts need to be refinanced at a given time.

    Italian Bond Yields Pass Key 7% Level Neelabh Chaturvedi 2011

  • (That explains why I didn't have a pain spike when I went from it to Gabitril).

    Thor's Day hdaemon 2009

  • A short-term spike in borrowing costs is a manageable problem for Italy, since only a small part of its debts need to be refinanced at a given time.

    Exit From Italian Debt Spurs Fears Marcus Walker 2011

  • Iran is threatening to close the Strait because it knows it can be squeezed out of the oil market without a significant long-term spike in oil prices.

    The Embargo That Can't Wait Emanuele Ottolenghi 2012

  • Mr. Belton says a near-term spike in Treasury rates isn't likely, even without a debt deal.

    What a Downgrade Means for You Jonathan Cheng 2011

  • I thought the girls dress code here was Daisy Duke in spike heels.

    Cheeseburger Gothic » Ladies Lounge 2009

  • If the proposal is approved, a sediment core from Crawford Lake — which lies in a conservation area near Toronto — would become the ‘golden spike’ marking the beginning of the Anthropocene, the geological epoch in which humanity has profoundly affected Earth.

    This quiet lake could mark the start of a new Anthropocene epoch Alexandra Witze 2023

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