at stake

Idioms  

1. At risk to be won or lost, as in We have a great deal at stake in this transaction. This phrase uses stake in the sense of something that is wagered. Shakespeare used it in Troilus and Cressida (3:3): “I see my reputation is at stake.” [Late 1500s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

at stake

Amid the safety debate, the economics of electricity generation and distribution were at stake.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

The BBC's China correspondent Laura Bicker and US editor Sarah Smith explain what's at stake for the two global superpowers.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Eldridge from 1976, in which the Supreme Court stated that due process is flexible depending on the extent of the liberty or property interest at stake.

From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026

A grand prize of $10,000 and a mounted catfish trophy were at stake.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Since what is often at stake in moral choices is confidence that one has got the facts right, the term was extended to other contexts in which people make judgements about questions of fact.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton