Advertisement
Advertisement
stake
1[ steyk ]
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.
Synonyms: , ,
- 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.
verb (used with object)
- 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 phrase
- to keep (a suspect) under police surveillance.
- to appoint (a police officer) to maintain constant watch over a suspect or place.
stake
2[ steyk ]
noun
- something that is wagered in a game, race, or contest.
Synonyms: ,
- 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.
Synonyms: ,
- 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)
- 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: , , ,
- to furnish (someone) with necessaries or resources, especially money:
They staked me to a good meal and a train ticket.
stake
1/ ٱɪ /
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 stakesto leave one's home or temporary resting place and move on
verb
- to tie, fasten, or tether with or to a stake
- often foll byout 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
stake
2/ ٱɪ /
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 something
a 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
- informal.short for grubstake
- at stakeat risk
two 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 conclusion
the Libyan allegations raised the stakes in the propaganda war between Libya and the United States
verb
- to hazard (money, etc) on a result
- to invest in or support by supplying with money, etc
to stake a business enterprise
Word History and Origins
Origin of stake1
Origin of stake2
Word History and Origins
Origin of stake1
Origin of stake2
Idioms and Phrases
- at stake, in danger of being lost, as something that has been wagered; critically involved.
- pull up stakes, Informal. to leave one's job, place of residence, etc.; move:
They pulled up stakes and went to California.
More idioms and phrases containing stake
- at stake
- burn at the stake
- have a stake in
- pull up stakes
Example Sentences
The healthcare of as many as 21 million Americans is at stake; that’s how many people are receiving health coverage via the Medicaid expansion.
“There’s a lot at stake for Joe,” said McClarnon, whose Navajo police lieutenant contends with marital discord, childhood trauma and a pesky FBI investigation.
"The system this Government inherited was high stakes for teachers but low information for parents, which is why we're removing single-word judgments and introducing school report cards".
But staking your presidency on a policy of global economic disruption comes with significant risks.
Juanita’s Foods, a prominent manufacturer of Mexican food products, announced that it had sold a majority stake in the company to Miami-based private equity firm Apex Capital.
Advertisement
Related Words
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.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse