at stake

Idioms

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]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

On the pitch, there is plenty at stake.

From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026

The court’s analogies also obscure what is ultimately at stake.

From Slate • Jun. 26, 2026

“There’s too much at stake to be petty.”

From Salon • Jun. 25, 2026

"But if they succeed now, that argument will no longer hold. That’s what is really at stake right now."

From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026

A standard argument was that a Christian needed moral certainty of the truths of their faith, since the fate of their soul was at stake.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023