spike /spaɪk/noun 19verb 13forms 3phrases 1 noun19 •A sort of very large nail. •A piece of pointed metal etc. set with points upward or outward.The trap was lined with spikes. •Anything resembling such a nail in shape.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. — 1720 •The rod-like protrusion from a woman's high-heeled shoe that elevates the heel. •A long nail for storing papers by skewering them; (by extension) the metaphorical place where rejected newspaper articles are sent. •Synonym of endpin. •a quick rise in a number or a price that soon falls againIf 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. — 2019 •A sharp peak in a graph. •a structure projecting from the surface of an enveloped virus, which binds to host cells. •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. •An ear of corn or grain. •A kind of inflorescence in which sessile flowers are arranged on an unbranched elongated axis. •[in the plural] (informal) A running shoe with spikes in the sole to provide grip. •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. — 2020 •A small project that uses the simplest possible program to explore potential solutions. •An adolescent male deer. •Spike lavender. •An excessively high church Anglican. •(slang, historical) The casual ward of a workhouse.Dere's tay spikes, and cocoa spikes, and skilly spikes. — 1933 verb13 •To fasten with spikes, or long, large nails.to spike down planks •To increase sharply.Traffic accidents spiked in December when there was ice on the roads. •To add alcohol or a drug into a drink, especially if covertly.She spiked my lemonade with vodka! •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. •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. •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.“No one is spiking the football yet,” Mr. Kahl said. — 2022 •(figurative) To discard; to decide not to publish or make public.Nicolaas, or Nick, as the family called him, wanted to turn professional but an ear injury, sustained during the war, spiked his plans. — 1981 •To set or furnish with spikes. •To embed nails into (a tree) so that any attempt to cut it down will damage equipment or injure people. •To fix on a spike.He spiked the story on the “dead” hook and answered his interphone. — 1950 •(slang) To inject a drug with a syringe. •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. — 1833 •To speak directly to camera. formsspiked · spiking · spikes Phrases with spike spike upto cause to become spiky
