SPIKES Synonyms: 223 Similar and Opposite Words

spikes 1 of 2

noun

plural of spike

as in darts

Related Words

Relevance

as in jumps

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

spikes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of spike

as in stabs

to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object scorpions use their stinger-equipped tails to spike their prey

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in stimulates

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 show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of spikes

Noun

The team identified a continuous midline feature that began as a fleshy crest along the neck and trunk and transitioned over the hips into a single row of spikes running down the tail — each spike positioned over a single vertebra and fitted to each other. — Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025

Verb

For example, someone repeatedly creating new accounts to steal free AI tokens should be treated differently from a paying casual user whose usage suddenly spikes. — Sarita Singh, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2026 Kasirye and her team led Sacramento County through measles outbreaks, spikes in opioid addictions and the COVID-19 pandemic. — Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2026 Exercise is technically a stressor, so a demanding workout briefly spikes cortisol, but the spike is temporary and beneficial. — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026 Tight end Trey McBride said Brissett barks at the defense after making a big play, particularly at star safety Budda Baker, which spikes practice competitiveness. — Doug Haller, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 The cut will stimulate the plant to push out two shoots, namely, the new flower spikes (one on each side of the main stem). — David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 6 Sep. 2026 But nightmare headaches and blood pressure spikes from her teenage years came back at age 24. — Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 28 Aug. 2026 While the core plasma reaches hundreds of millions of degrees, the components surrounding the chamber must endure sudden, extreme heat spikes similar to spacecraft entering Earth’s atmosphere. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026 The Hormuz crisis has so far led to only modest oil price spikes thanks to an unusual combination of favorable market conditions and years of investment in energy security measures. — Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spikes

Noun

Members can still gather for other activities like pinochle, pool and darts.

— Madeleine Wright, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Games like cornhole, ringer darts and Kubb — a lawn game involving teams tossing wooden blocks to knock over their opponents’ blocks — were set up on small turf patches.

— Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of darts

Verb

The sequence culminates in the Great Hall, where Ned kicks part of his broken cane to Colum, who stabs MacKinney in the leg.

— Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
But before Bane can finish him off, Batman stabs a Batarang into a little knob on Bane’s wrist gauntlet, the one that controls his intake of Venom.

— Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of stabs

Verb

The glasses project light onto 378 pixels in the implant, which converts those light patterns into an electrical current that stimulates the retina’s bipolar cells.

— Erica Sweeney, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Observation generates hypotheses; hypotheses lead to anatomical investigation; anatomy stimulates physiological questions; physiology eventually produces clinical trials.

— Subramaniam C. Krishnan, STAT, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of stimulates

Noun

Each is almost seven by five feet, and most establish a broad field of color—blue, crimson, orange—across which migrate sharp and irregular shapes, some like long teeth or spears, others like shards of obsidian.

— Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
Spears and a club The team found a pointed stick and two spears lying close to the antlered skulls of red deer.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of spears

Verb

The incidental findings problem Here is the number that punctures the marketing.

— Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026
That’s because when a snake bites and punctures the skin and transfers venom into the victim’s body, the venom attacks the skin, soft tissue and connective tissue beneath it.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026

Definition of punctures

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spikelike

spikes

spiking

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Style

“Spikes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spikes. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of spikes

noun

verb

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