1
as in stabbed
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object
scorpions use their stinger-equipped tails to spike their prey
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in stimulated
to give life, vigor, or spirit to
he spiked what otherwise would have been a dry economic lecture with some jokes and anecdotes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of spiked
Rachel Treisman, NPR, 12 Aug. 2025
Or compliance that supposedly strengthened consumer protection but mostly just spiked payroll costs with lawyers.
—Rich Karlgaard, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Ryan Browne, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
The body of her 15-year-old nephew was found burned in a dumpster in 2016, a year when homicides spiked to a decade-high.
—Omar Jimenez, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiked
Verb
But the anticipation — and online speculation — spiked on Monday, after the star released a series of cryptic social media posts.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 12 Aug. 2025
Or compliance that supposedly strengthened consumer protection but mostly just spiked payroll costs with lawyers.
—Rich Karlgaard, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
IonQ stock is up nearly 480% in the last 12 months, while D-Wave Quantum’s shares have spiked over 1,400%.
—Ryan Browne, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
The body of her 15-year-old nephew was found burned in a dumpster in 2016, a year when homicides spiked to a decade-high.
—Omar Jimenez, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiked
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiked
Verb
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Horne's announcement came just over two weeks after a 16-year-old was fatally stabbed in a classroom in west Phoenix's Maryvale High School.—
Erick Trevino,
AZCentral.com,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The son and daughter of one of the victims said their father was stabbed several times after someone broke into his home.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Some of the rats even stimulated themselves to death.—
Ulrik Juul Christensen,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
-
In 1927, the superintendent of the Cambridge University Botanic Garden in England found a witch’s broom growth — a kind of growth generally stimulated by a pathogen — growing at the base of a redwood tree.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
During his two-year spell in North London, Postecoglou also reveals the decidedly spikier side to his character.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
-
Jasmine petals, one of my favorite floral notes, is given a spikier edge alongside Australian pink pepper, while raspberry and spun sugar add a pleasing sweetness without being too much.—
Venus Wong,
refinery29.com,
30 Oct. 2024
Verb
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The fatal knife wound pierced Martin's sternum before going into his heart.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Hospitals overflowing with patients ripped by shrapnel and pierced by bullets.—
Brendan Rascius,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Two developments in 1976 had stirred interest in searching for undersea freshwater.—
Rodrique Ngowi,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
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All this has stirred some fresh thinking among Democrats about whether activists must demand that candidates agree with all of their positions, or whether victory demands more flexibility.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Thailand says the barbed wire was set up to prevent the planting of mines and is on its own land.—
Matthew Tostevin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
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No one else writes with such wounding, barbed wit.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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That moment punctured the membrane between past and present for me.—
Michael Jerome Plunkett
September 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The squirrel’s back was punctured through the skin, but the talon marks were not deep enough to have been fatal.—
Charles Elliott,
Outdoor Life,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Most of the surface is made up of a fine dust with jagged edges because it hasn’t been weathered by wind or water.—
Jeremy Bogaisky,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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Against all of this allegedly heady stuff, the score—by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross—intentionally jars us from encroaching drowsiness with chortling woodwinds and shardlike piano chords that are the aural equivalent of jagged Plexiglass off-cuts.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spiked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiked. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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