| berate | | |
| v. (communication) | 1. bawl out, berate, call down, call on the carpet, chew out, chew up, chide, dress down, have words, jaw, lambast, lambaste, lecture, rag, rebuke, remonstrate, reprimand, reproof, scold, take to task, trounce | censure severely or angrily.; "The mother scolded the child for entering a stranger's car"; "The deputy ragged the Prime Minister"; "The customer dressed down the waiter for bringing cold soup" |
| ~ castigate, chasten, chastise, objurgate, correct | censure severely.; "She chastised him for his insensitive remarks" |
| ~ brush down, tell off | reprimand.; "She told the misbehaving student off" |
| ~ criticise, criticize, pick apart, knock | find fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws.; "The paper criticized the new movie"; "Don't knock the food--it's free" |
| spike | | |
| n. (event) | 1. spike | a transient variation in voltage or current. |
| ~ electrical discharge | a discharge of electricity. |
| n. (artifact) | 2. spike | sports equipment consisting of a sharp point on the sole of a shoe worn by athletes.; "spikes provide greater traction" |
| ~ climbing iron, crampon, crampoon, climber | an iron spike attached to the shoe to prevent slipping on ice when walking or climbing. |
| ~ piton | a metal spike with a hole for a rope; mountaineers drive it into ice or rock to use as a hold. |
| ~ pricket | a sharp metal spike to hold a candle. |
| ~ shoe | footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material. |
| ~ sports equipment | equipment needed to participate in a particular sport. |
| n. (plant) | 3. capitulum, ear, spike | fruiting spike of a cereal plant especially corn. |
| ~ corn, indian corn, maize, zea mays | tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times. |
| ~ mealie | an ear of corn. |
| ~ fruit | the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant. |
| n. (plant) | 4. spike | (botany) an indeterminate inflorescence bearing sessile flowers on an unbranched axis. |
| ~ phytology, botany | the branch of biology that studies plants. |
| ~ inflorescence | the flowering part of a plant or arrangement of flowers on a stalk. |
| ~ spadix | the fleshy axis of a spike often surrounded by a spathe. |
| n. (event) | 5. spike | a sharp rise followed by a sharp decline.; "the seismograph showed a sharp spike in response to the temblor" |
| ~ rise | a growth in strength or number or importance. |
| n. (artifact) | 6. spike, spike heel, stiletto heel | a very high narrow heel on women's shoes. |
| ~ heel | the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation. |
| n. (artifact) | 7. spike | each of the sharp points on the soles of athletic shoes to prevent slipping (or the shoes themselves).; "the second baseman sharpened his spikes before every game"; "golfers' spikes damage the putting greens" |
| ~ gaff | a sharp metal spike or spur that is fastened to the leg of a gamecock. |
| ~ point | sharp end.; "he stuck the point of the knife into a tree"; "he broke the point of his pencil" |
| n. (artifact) | 8. spike | a sharp-pointed projection along the top of a fence or wall (or a dinosaur). |
| ~ projection | any structure that branches out from a central support. |
| n. (artifact) | 9. spike | a long, thin sharp-pointed implement (wood or metal).; "one of the spikes impaled him" |
| ~ implement | instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end. |
| n. (artifact) | 10. spike, spindle | any holding device consisting of a rigid, sharp-pointed object.; "the spike pierced the receipts and held them in order" |
| ~ holding device | a device for holding something. |
| n. (artifact) | 11. spike | a large stout nail.; "they used spikes to fasten the rails to a railroad tie" |
| ~ nail | a thin pointed piece of metal that is hammered into materials as a fastener. |
| v. (social) | 12. spike | stand in the way of. |
| ~ banish, bar, relegate | expel, as if by official decree.; "he was banished from his own country" |
| v. (contact) | 13. empale, impale, spike, transfix | pierce with a sharp stake or point.; "impale a shrimp on a skewer" |
| ~ pierce, thrust | penetrate or cut through with a sharp instrument. |
| ~ pin | pierce with a pin.; "pin down the butterfly" |
| ~ spear | pierce with a spear.; "spear fish" |
| v. (contact) | 14. spike | secure with spikes. |
| ~ fasten, fix, secure | cause to be firmly attached.; "fasten the lock onto the door"; "she fixed her gaze on the man" |
| v. (change) | 15. spike, spike out | bring forth a spike or spikes.; "my hyacinths and orchids are spiking now" |
| ~ develop | grow, progress, unfold, or evolve through a process of evolution, natural growth, differentiation, or a conducive environment.; "A flower developed on the branch"; "The country developed into a mighty superpower"; "The embryo develops into a fetus"; "This situation has developed over a long time" |
| v. (change) | 16. fortify, lace, spike | add alcohol to (beverages).; "the punch is spiked!" |
| ~ cookery, cooking, preparation | the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat.; "cooking can be a great art"; "people are needed who have experience in cookery"; "he left the preparation of meals to his wife" |
| ~ alter, change, modify | cause to change; make different; cause a transformation.; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" |
| v. (change) | 17. spike | manifest a sharp increase.; "the voltage spiked" |
| ~ increase | become bigger or greater in amount.; "The amount of work increased" |
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