stake2

 
Pronunciation: /steɪk/

noun

  • a sum of money or something else of value gambled on the outcome of a risky game or venture: playing dice for high stakes figurative the opposition raised the stakes in the battle for power the stakes are high with a six-figure bonanza in television rights in the balance
  • a share or interest in a business, situation, or system: GM acquired a 50 per cent stake in Saab
  • (stakes) prize money, especially in horse racing.
  • [in names] (Stakes) a horse race in which all the owners of the racehorses running contribute to the prize money: the horse is to run in the Craven Stakes
  • (with modifier stakes) a situation involving competition in a specified area: we will keep you one step ahead in the fashion stakes

verb

[with object]
  • 1gamble (money or something else of value) on the outcome of a game or race: one gambler staked everything he’d got and lost figurative it was risky to stake his reputation on one big success
  • 2North American informal give financial or other support to: he staked him to an education at the École des Beaux-Arts

Phrases

at stake

  • 1at risk: people’s lives could be at stake
  • 2at issue or in question: the logical response is to give up, but there’s more at stake than logic

Origin:

late Middle English: perhaps a specialized usage of stake1, from the notion of an object being placed as a wager on a post or stake

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).