stake

[ steyk ]

/ steɪk /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: stake / stakes on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

a post to which a person is bound for execution, usually by burning.

the stake, the punishment of death by burning: Joan of Arc was sentenced to the stake.

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.

Mormon Church. a division of ecclesiastical territory, consisting of a number of wards presided over by a president and two counselors.

sett (def. 2).

verb (used with object), staked, stak·ing.

to mark with or as if with stakes (often followed by off or out): We staked out the boundaries of the garden.

to possess, claim, or reserve a share of (land, profit, glory, etc.) as if by marking or bounding with stakes (usually followed by out or off): I'm staking out ten percent of the profit for myself.

to separate or close off by a barrier of stakes.

to support with a stake or stakes, as a plant: to stake tomato vines.

to tether or secure to a stake, as an animal: They staked the goat in the back yard.

to fasten with a stake or stakes.

Verb Phrases

stake out,

to keep (a suspect) under police surveillance.
to appoint (a police officer) to maintain constant watch over a suspect or place.

OTHER WORDS FOR stake

1 pale, picket, pike.

See synonyms for stake on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about stake

pull up stakes, Informal. to leave one's job, place of residence, etc.; move: They pulled up stakes and went to California.

Origin of stake

First recorded beforebefore 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 stick¹; verb derivative of the noun

Words nearby stake

stair rod, stairs, stairstep, stairway, stairwell, stake, stake a claim, stake boat, stake body, Staked Plain, stakeholder

Other definitions for stake (2 of 2)

stake²

[ steyk ]

/ steɪk /

noun

something that is wagered in a game, race, or contest.

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.

a personal or emotional concern, interest, involvement, or share: Parents have a big stake in their children's happiness.

the funds with which a gambler operates.

Often stakes . a prize, reward, increase in status, etc., in or as if in a contest.

stakes. Poker. 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.

a grubstake.

verb (used with object), staked, stak·ing.

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.

to furnish (someone) with necessaries or resources, especially money: They staked me to a good meal and a train ticket.

OTHER WORDS FOR stake

1 wager, bet.

5 winnings, purse.

8 bet, gamble, hazard; jeopardize.

See synonyms for stake on Thesaurus.com

Origin of stake

First recorded in 1530–40; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stake in a sentence

The latest iteration of that is TikTok’s deal with Oracle that will reportedly set up a new US entity to house the short video app, with the US software giant taking a minority stake and managing user data.
Beijing is publicizing its philosophy of how tech firms like TikTok must aid China’s rise|Jane Li|September 16, 2020|Quartz
If the edited embryos result in a baby, his or her offspring will also inherit the edited DNA—thus dramatically raising the stakes.
A CRISPR Baby Future? New Report Outlines Path to Human Germline Editing|Shelly Fan|September 15, 2020|Singularity Hub
When the stakes are high, and the gatekeepers of reproduction and survival are other minds, competition and manipulation become central.
The Dark Side of Smart - Facts So Romantic|Diana Fleischman|September 15, 2020|Nautilus
So fintech startups that sell fractional stakes in those assets have surged during the pandemic.
How a bottled-water founder became the richest man in China (for a moment)|Lucinda Shen|September 8, 2020|Fortune

It’s really helped lay the table stakes of what we believe in and care about.
‘Don’t wait to be perfect:’ 4 top startup tips from a unicorn’s founder and investor|Beth Kowitt|September 6, 2020|Fortune
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
Then as now, we all are at stake, and sooner or later, we all must make a stand.
McConaughey’s ‘Stand’—And Ours|James Poulos|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Paul has consistently used Benghazi as a device to stake out high ground on foreign policy.
Rand Paul Won’t Let Benghazi Die|Olivia Nuzzi|December 2, 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
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
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
It would not take two minutes to convert him from the inquisitor to the martyr at the stake.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline|Jennie M. Drinkwater
And the quail, perched on the fence-stake, would she address herself to us or to Mr. Robert White down in the meadow?
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd

British Dictionary definitions for stake (1 of 2)

stake¹

/ (steɪk) /

noun

a stick or metal bar driven into the ground as a marker, part of a fence, support for a plant, etc

one of a number of vertical posts that fit into sockets around a flat truck or railway wagon to hold the load in place

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

Mormon Church an administrative district consisting of a group of wards under the jurisdiction of a president

pull up stakes to leave one's home or temporary resting place and move on

verb (tr)

to tie, fasten, or tether with or to a stake

(often foll by out or off) to fence or surround with stakes

(often foll by out) to lay (a claim) to land, rights, etc

to support with a stake

Word Origin for stake

Old English staca pin; related to Old Frisian staka, Old High German stehho, Old Norse stjaki; see stick 1

British Dictionary definitions for stake (2 of 2)

stake²

/ (steɪk) /

noun

the money or valuables that a player must hazard in order to buy into a gambling game or make a bet

an interest, often financial, held in somethinga stake in the company's future

(often plural) the money that a player has available for gambling

(often plural) a prize in a race, etc, esp one made up of contributions from contestants or owners

(plural) horse racing a race in which all owners of competing horses contribute to the prize money

US and Canadian informal short for grubstake (def. 1)

at stake at risktwo lives are at stake

raise the stakes

to increase the amount of money or valuables hazarded in a gambling game
to increase the costs, risks, or considerations involved in taking an action or reaching a conclusionthe Libyan allegations raised the stakes in the propaganda war between Libya and the United States

verb (tr)

to hazard (money, etc) on a result

to invest in or support by supplying with money, etcto stake a business enterprise

Word Origin for stake

C16: of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with stake

stake

In addition to the idioms beginning with stake

stake a claim
stake out

also see:

at stake
burn at the stake
have a stake in
pull up stakes

stake

OTHER WORDS FOR stake

Idioms about stake

Origin of stake

Words nearby stake

Other definitions for stake (2 of 2)

OTHER WORDS FOR stake

Origin of stake

Words related to stake

How to use stake in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stake (1 of 2)

Word Origin for stake

British Dictionary definitions for stake (2 of 2)

Word Origin for stake

Other Idioms and Phrases with stake