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spike heel

spike heel

3 5.0
A very high, thin part at the back of a woman's shoe that ends in a small point
  • noun
  • /spaɪk hiːl/
translation icon : tacón de aguja
  • Walking in spike heels requires a lot of practice to maintain balance.
  • wear spike heels
  • a pair of spike heels
  • black spike heels

Examples

  • The fashion show featured models strutting down the runway in stunning spike heels.

  • She loves the way her legs look when she wears spike heels to parties.

  • "Black spike heels and chains, too?" he asked.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • As she heads up to the door, her spike heels sink into the dirt.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • I love the one with the girl running in a flirting manner holding her spike-heel shoes, but not showing her face.

    Blog text (7)
  • They're led by the three ring girls in their bikinis and spike heels.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Their red-and-silver five-inch spike heels are as shiny as a little boy's fire engine.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • A mysterious woman in an overcoat, sunglasses, and spiked heels enters.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Nan hated spike heels.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • I was most of a block behind him, trailing along with the secretaries in spike heels, when I realized that Pete was making this very easy for me.

    Fiction book (1995)

Synonyms

stiletto
vsspike heel
17 4.8

A women's high shoe with a very thin heel

refers specifically to the heel part rather than the entire shoe
stiletto heel
vsspike heel
4 4.4

A very thin, high part under women's shoes that ends in a small point

has identical meaning but is an alternative name for the same heel
high-heeled shoe
vsspike heel
4 2.7

A shoe with a high heel that makes the heel higher than the toes

is narrower, meaning a very thin sharply pointed heel

Antonyms

2.6

Shoes for women with no or very low heel

How High

spike heel
3 5.0
high heel
6 2.7
kitten heel
1 6.1
flat
797 1.0

Surface Forms

spike heel singular
spike heels plural

Morphology

spike + heel

The meaning 'a very high, thin heel shaped like a spike' is directly and literally derivable from combining 'spike' (a long, sharp-pointed projection) with 'heel' (the rear part of a shoe). This is a straightforward compositional descriptor common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Spike heel comes from the shoe's shape: the heel is long and thin like a sharp spike, so it ends in a small point. So the name means 'a very high, thin heel that ends in a small point'.