stake
1 Americannoun
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a stick or post pointed at one end for driving into the ground as a boundary mark, part of a fence, support for a plant, etc.
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a post to which a person is bound for execution, usually by burning.
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the stake, the punishment of death by burning.
Joan of Arc was sentenced to the stake.
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one of a number of vertical posts fitting into sockets or staples on the edge of the platform of a truck or other vehicle, as to retain the load.
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Mormon Church. a division of ecclesiastical territory, consisting of a number of wards presided over by a president and two counselors.
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sett.
verb (used with object)
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to mark with or as if with stakes (often followed by off orout ).
We staked out the boundaries of the garden.
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to possess, claim, or reserve a share of (land, profit, glory, etc.) as if by marking or bounding with stakes (usually followed by out oroff ).
I'm staking out ten percent of the profit for myself.
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to separate or close off by a barrier of stakes.
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to support with a stake or stakes, as a plant.
to stake tomato vines.
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to tether or secure to a stake, as an animal.
They staked the goat in the back yard.
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to fasten with a stake or stakes.
verb phrase
idioms
noun
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something that is wagered in a game, race, or contest.
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a monetary or commercial interest, investment, share, or involvement in something, as in hope of gain.
I have a big stake in the success of the firm.
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a personal or emotional concern, interest, involvement, or share.
Parents have a big stake in their children's happiness.
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the funds with which a gambler operates.
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Often stakes a prize, reward, increase in status, etc., in or as if in a contest.
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Poker. stakes. the cash values assigned to the various colored chips, various bets, and raises.
Our stakes are 5, 10, and 25 cents: you can bet out 10 cents on a pair and reraise twice at 25 cents.
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a grubstake.
verb (used with object)
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to risk (something), as upon the result of a game or the occurrence or outcome of any uncertain event, venture, etc..
He staked his reputation on the success of the invention.
- Synonyms:
- jeopardize, hazard, gamble, bet
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to furnish (someone) with necessaries or resources, especially money.
They staked me to a good meal and a train ticket.
idioms
noun
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the money or valuables that a player must hazard in order to buy into a gambling game or make a bet
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an interest, often financial, held in something
a stake in the company's future
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(often plural) the money that a player has available for gambling
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(often plural) a prize in a race, etc, esp one made up of contributions from contestants or owners
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(plural) horse racing a race in which all owners of competing horses contribute to the prize money
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informal short for grubstake
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at risk
two lives are at stake
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to increase the amount of money or valuables hazarded in a gambling game
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to increase the costs, risks, or considerations involved in taking an action or reaching a conclusion
the Libyan allegations raised the stakes in the propaganda war between Libya and the United States
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verb
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to hazard (money, etc) on a result
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to invest in or support by supplying with money, etc
to stake a business enterprise
noun
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a stick or metal bar driven into the ground as a marker, part of a fence, support for a plant, etc
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one of a number of vertical posts that fit into sockets around a flat truck or railway wagon to hold the load in place
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a method or the practice of executing a person by binding him to a stake in the centre of a pile of wood that is then set on fire
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Mormon Church an administrative district consisting of a group of wards under the jurisdiction of a president
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to leave one's home or temporary resting place and move on
verb
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to tie, fasten, or tether with or to a stake
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to fence or surround with stakes
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(often foll by out) to lay (a claim) to land, rights, etc
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to support with a stake
Etymology
Origin of stake1
First recorded before before 900; Middle English noun stak(e), stack(e), Old English staca “pin, stake”; cognate with Dutch staak, German Stake, Old Norse -staki (in lȳsistaki “candlestick”); akin to stick 1; verb derivative of the noun
Origin of stake2
First recorded in 1530–40; origin uncertain
Explanation
A stake is a wooden stick, sharpened on one end and used to mark property lines (or slay a vampire). In the Middle Ages, people would gamble by placing their bets on wooden posts, or stakes. Eventually the bets themselves became known as stakes. Today, you can use the word as a verb to describe any risky endeavor — for example, "Geoffrey staked his sandwich-making reputation on a six-foot hero with salami and pickles." A stake can also be an investment. If you say that "Bill has a stake in the business," it means he’s a part-owner.
Vocabulary lists containing stake
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Lessons 3–4
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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.
See Examples For:
He believed the vaccine business was worth more than Wall Street was giving it credit for and took a small stake.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Following Walter’s decision to sell his majority stake in the Lakers, questions about his majority ownership of the Dodgers were raised amid his company’s financial difficulties, which include a federal probe of his businesses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Its US operations are now 81% owned by a consortium of investors, while Bytdance maintains a 19% stake.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
It has a 19.9% ownership stake in TikTok US, according to US media.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
What’s at stake and how big a deal it would be to win...which just reminds me of our loss to the Stockwood Sharks.
From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone
For a director who’s staked a name on films and television shows that are narratively impenetrable, “Her Private Hell” may feel like a big ask for some viewers.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
Who knows if the English game will be marching on together as hoped by those that have staked so much on this direction?
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Kevin Warsh has staked his chairmanship on the premise that a quieter Federal Reserve gets a cleaner read on what investors think.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
“Night Nurse” is as flirty and fleeting as a high school crush — intense enough to make an impact but staked more on possibility than actual sensation.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
So Sammy staked me, about twenty dollars, I think it was.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
On the same weekend that Ben Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket, a former Premier League winner was staking his claim as an all-rounder.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Social media company Snap showcased a pair of its $2,195 augmented reality glasses Tuesday, staking a claim in a race to reshape how people interact with computers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
In our dire age, a little bit of levity can often feel like a wager, staking your bets on an audience’s bandwidth for fun.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026
HawkEye is focused on government applications, staking out strategic high ground above the clouds.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
Given the lack of previous investigation, it may have been inevitable that when Dobyns traced births and deaths in Lima he would be staking out new ground.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
