at stake

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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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Words nearby at stake

at someone's elbow, at someone's heels, at someone's mercy, at someone's request, at someone's service, at stake, at sword's point, att., attaboy, attacca, attach

How to use at stake in a sentence

We can, due to the critical issues at stake, also go one more step and impose an embargo.
U.S. Should Make North Korea Pay for Sony Hack|Gordon G. Chang|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Think about it: Dodd-Frank was explicitly passed to drive a stake through the heart of the implicit concept of “too big to fail.”
How Naive is Elizabeth Warren?|Nick Gillespie|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At stake is not just the 21 photos that were originally ordered to be released.
The Detainee Abuse Photos Obama Didn’t Want You To See|Noah Shachtman, Tim Mak|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I spoke first with Scott Ellman, a student at Wesleyan University and now the Huffington Post editor-at-large for his campus.
Fraternities in a Post-UVA World|Samantha Allen|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The at-home genetics testing company 23andme, established in 2006, helps people learn more about their “DNA relatives.”
Nothing Says I Love You Like Data|The Daily Beast|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the thirteenth of the same month they bound to the stake, in order to burn alive, a man who had two religious in his house.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
Tressan was monstrous ill-at-ease, and his face lost a good deal of its habitual plethora of colour.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
The Duke, as well as his friend, had much at stake in bringing this part of his negociation to bear.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
A fellow rudely clad—a hybrid between man-at-arms and lackey—lounged on a musket to confront them in the gateway.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
I watched her narrowly, and would stake my life on it she is only the more dangerous for being the less open.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various