spiked

adjective

ˈspīkt 

ˈspī-kəd

1

: having an inflorescence that is a spike

spiked blooms

2

: having sharp projecting points

a spiked tail

spiked collars

3

of hair : arranged in stiff tufts

a spiked hairstyle

4

of beverages : containing alcohol : hard sense 2b

spiked seltzers

Wisconsin gets to be among the first to try a new line of 80-calorie spiked sodas with zero sugar.

—Kathy Flanigan

Examples of spiked in a Sentence

a lizard with a spiked tail

Recent Examples on the Web

Wall Street’s fear gauge — the CBOE Volatility Index — spiked above the 20 handle earlier in the session, but then fell back around 18 as the day wore on. —Sarah Min, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2025

Early this month the company’s languishing shares, which traded below $5 for much of 2024, spiked 29% to close at $8.39 on news of tech partnerships with AI chip behemoth Nvidia and truck parts maker Continental. —Alan Ohnsman, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025

The costs of essentials, the stuff firms and people cannot do without, spiked. —Isabella M. Weber, Foreign Affairs, 15 Jan. 2025

What To Know Half a decade on from the COVID outbreak, images posted on social media of hospitals in China have spiked concerns of another heath crisis. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 4 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing spiked

• spiked heel

Kids Definition

spiked

adjective

ˈspīkt 

1

: having sharp points

2

: arranged in stiff clumps

spiked hair