spike
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A piece of pointed metal etc.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
spykIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈspaɪk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A sort of very large nail.
A large stout nail
“They used spikes to fasten the rails to a railroad tie.”
A piece of pointed metal etc. set with points upward or outward.
by extension
Anything resembling such a nail in shape.
An ear of corn or grain.
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.
verb
To embed nails into (a tree) so that any attempt to cut it down will damage equipment or injure people.
To increase sharply.
Add alcohol to (beverages)
To add alcohol or a drug into a drink, especially if covertly.
To add a small amount of one substance to another.
To fasten with spikes, or long, large nails.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A piece of pointed metal etc. set with points upward or outward.
Used this way, spike is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use spike
- “They used spikes to fasten the rails to a railroad tie.”noun
- “The seismograph showed a sharp spike in response to the temblor.”noun
- “The second baseman sharpened his spikes before every game.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A very high narrow heel on women's shoes.
Mediterranean plant with pale purple flowers that yields spike lavender oil.
Pale yellow essential oil obtained from spike lavender used in scenting soaps and cosmetics.
United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957).
A contact microphone for listening through walls.
Any of numerous fern allies of the genus Selaginella.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.