stake1

 
Pronunciation: /steɪk/

noun

  • 1a strong wooden or metal post with a point at one end, driven into the ground to support a plant, form part of a fence, mark a boundary, etc..
  • (the stake) historical a wooden post to which a person was tied before being burned alive as a punishment: Bishop Ridley was burned at the stake
  • a long vertical rod used in basket-making.
  • 2a metalworker’s small anvil, typically with a projection for fitting into a socket on a bench.
  • 3a territorial division of the Mormon Church under the jurisdiction of a president.

verb

[with object]
  • 1support (a plant) with a stake or stakes: the gladioli were staked in gaudy ranks vigorous plants need staking
  • 2 (stake something out) mark an area with stakes so as to claim ownership of it: the boundary between the two manors was properly staked out
  • be assertive in defining and defending a position or policy: Elena was staking out a role for herself as a formidable political force

Phrases

go to the stake for

used to emphasize that one would do anything to defend a particular belief, opinion, or person: I trust these people—I would go to the stake for every one of them

pull up stakes

North American move or go to live elsewhere: his father wrangled with a foreman and the family pulled up stakes

stake a claim

assert one’s right to something: the batsman staked a claim for a place in the side

Phrasal Verbs

stake someone/thing out

informal keep a person or place under surveillance: they’d staked out Culley’s flat for a day

Origin:

Old English staca, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch staak, also to stick2

Do not confuse stake with steak. Stake mainly means 'gamble money or something valuable' ( he staked everything he’d got and lost), 'a strong post used to support plants', or 'something gambled' ( playing dice for high stakes), whereas steak means 'a thick slice of beef' ( steak and chips).