stake
stake Lexical Profile
stake Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A share, interest, or financial involvement in a business, project, or situation.
"The venture capitalists acquired a controlling stake in the new technology startup."
A strong wooden or metal post with a pointed end, driven into the ground to serve as a marker, support, or part of a fence.
"The surveyors hammered a wooden stake into the ground to mark the precise property line."
A sum of money or something of value wagered or risked on a game, race, or specific outcome.
"They sat down to play a tense game of poker with exceptionally high stakes."
• verb
To risk or gamble a sum of money, reputation, or something of value on a specific outcome.
"He staked his entire professional reputation on the success of the controversial research project."
To assert or claim a right to something (typically used in the phrase 'stake a claim').
"The explorers moved quickly to stake a claim on the newly discovered, resource-rich territory."
To support, secure, or mark an area with wooden or metal posts.
"The gardener carefully staked the tall tomato plants to keep them from falling over in the heavy wind."
Word Nuance & Usage
Often confused with its homophone 'steak' (a cut of meat). Frequently appears in the prepositional phrase 'at stake', meaning at risk or in question.
• Rhymes for stake
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'staca' meaning a pin or peg, of Germanic origin. The sense of a wager comes from the 16th-century custom of placing a wager on a wooden post.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.