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stake
11 dictionary results for: Stake
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
stake1       [steyk] Pronunciation Key, noun, verb, staked, stak·ing.
–noun
1.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.
2.a post to which a person is bound for execution, usually by burning.
3.the stake, the punishment of death by burning: Joan of Arc was sentenced to the stake.
4.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.
5.Mormon Church. a division of ecclesiastical territory, consisting of a number of wards presided over by a president and two counselors.
6.sett (def. 2).
–verb (used with object)
7.to mark with or as if with stakes (often fol. by off or out): We staked out the boundaries of the garden.
8.to possess, claim, or reserve a share of (land, profit, glory, etc.) as if by marking or bounding with stakes (usually fol. by out or off): I'm staking out ten percent of the profit for myself.
9.to separate or close off by a barrier of stakes.
10.to support with a stake or stakes, as a plant: to stake tomato vines.
11.to tether or secure to a stake, as an animal: They staked the goat in the back yard.
12.to fasten with a stake or stakes.
—Verb phrase
13.stake out,
a.to keep (a suspect) under police surveillance.
b.to appoint (a police officer) to maintain constant watch over a suspect or place.
—Idiom
14.pull up stakes, Informal. to leave one's job, place of residence, etc.; move: They pulled up stakes and went to California.
[Origin: bef. 900; (n.) ME; OE staca pin; c. D staak, G Stake, ON -staki (in lȳsistaki candlestick); akin to stick1; (v.) ME staken to mark (land) with stakes, deriv. of the n.]

—Synonyms 1. pale, picket, pike.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
stake2       [steyk] Pronunciation Key, noun, verb, staked, stak·ing.
–noun
1.something that is wagered in a game, race, or contest.
2.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.
3.a personal or emotional concern, interest, involvement, or share: Parents have a big stake in their children's happiness.
4.the funds with which a gambler operates.
5.Often, stakes. a prize, reward, increase in status, etc., in or as if in a contest.
6.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.
7.a grubstake.
–verb (used with object)
8.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.
9.to furnish (someone) with necessaries or resources, esp. money: They staked me to a good meal and a train ticket.
—Idiom
10.at stake, in danger of being lost, as something that has been wagered; critically involved.
[Origin: 1520–30; orig. uncert.]

—Synonyms 1. wager, bet. 5. winnings, purse. 8. bet, gamble, hazard; jeopardize.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
stake       (stāk)  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. A piece of wood or metal pointed at one end for driving into the ground as a marker, fence pole, or tent peg.
    1. A vertical post to which an offender is bound for execution by burning.
    2. Execution by burning. Used with the: condemned to the stake.
    3. Money or property risked in a wager or gambling game. Often used in the plural. See Synonyms at bet.
    4. The prize awarded the winner of a contest or race.
    5. A race offering a prize to the winner, especially a horserace in which the prize consists of money contributed equally by the horse owners.
    6. A share or an interest in an enterprise, especially a financial share.
    7. Personal interest or involvement: a stake in her children's future.
  3. A vertical post secured in a socket at the edge of a platform, as on a truck bed, to help retain the load.
  4. Mormon Church A territorial division consisting of a group of wards under the jurisdiction of a president.
  5. Sports & Games
    1. Money or property risked in a wager or gambling game. Often used in the plural. See Synonyms at bet.
    2. The prize awarded the winner of a contest or race.
    3. A race offering a prize to the winner, especially a horserace in which the prize consists of money contributed equally by the horse owners.
    4. A share or an interest in an enterprise, especially a financial share.
    5. Personal interest or involvement: a stake in her children's future.
    1. A share or an interest in an enterprise, especially a financial share.
    2. Personal interest or involvement: a stake in her children's future.
  7. A grubstake.

tr.v.   staked, stak·ing, stakes
    1. To mark the location or limits of with or as if with stakes: stake out a claim.
    2. To claim as one's own: staked out a place for herself in industry.
  2. To fasten, secure, or support with a stake or stakes.
  3. To tether or tie to a stake.
  4. To gamble or risk; hazard.
  5. To provide working capital for; finance.

Phrasal Verb(s):
stake out
  1. To assign (a police officer, for example) to an area to conduct surveillance.
  2. To keep under surveillance.

Idiom(s):
at stake
At risk; in question.

[Middle English, from Old English staca.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
stake  (n)
"pointed stick or post," O.E. staca, from P.Gmc. *stakon (cf. O.N. stiaki, Du. staak, Ger. stake), from PIE base *steg- "pole, stick." The Gmc. word has been borrowed in Sp. (estaca), O.Fr. (estaque), and It. stacca) and was borrowed back as attach. Meaning "post upon which persons were bound for death by burning" is recorded from c.1205. Stake-body as a type of truck is attested from 1907.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
stake  (v.)
c.1330, "to mark (land) with stakes," from stake (n.). Hence, to stake a claim (1857). Meaning "to risk, wager" is attested from 1530, probably from notion of "post on which a gambling wager was placed," though Weekley suggests "there is a tinge of the burning or baiting metaphor" in this usage. Noun meaning "that which is placed at hazard" is recorded from 1540. Plural stakes, as in horse racing, first recorded 1696 (cf. sweepstakes). To have a stake in is recorded from 1784. Meaning "to maintain surveilance" (usually stake out) is first recorded 1942, Amer.Eng. colloquial, probably form earlier sense of "mark off territory."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
stake

noun
1. (law) a right or legal share of something; a financial involvement with something; "they have interests all over the world"; "a stake in the company's future" [syn: interest] 
2. a pole or stake set up to mark something (as the start or end of a race track); "a pair of posts marked the goal"; "the corner of the lot was indicated by a stake" [syn: post] 
3. instrument of execution consisting of a vertical post that a victim is tied to for burning 
4. the money risked on a gamble 
5. a strong wooden or metal post with a point at one end so it can be driven into the ground 

verb
1. put at risk; "I will stake my good reputation for this" [syn: venture] 
2. place a bet on; "Which horse are you backing?"; "I'm betting on the new horse" [syn: bet on] 
3. mark with a stake; "stake out the path" 
4. tie or fasten to a stake; "stake your goat" 
5. kill by piercing with a spear or sharp pole; "the enemies were impaled and left to die" [syn: impale] 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

stake

In addition to the idioms beginning with stake, also see at stake; burn at the stake; have a stake in; pull up stakes.


The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: stake
Function: noun
1 : the subject matter (as property or an obligation) of an interpleader
2 : an interest or share in an esp. commercial undertaking

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Stake

Stake\, n. (Mormon Ch.) A territorial division; -- called also stake of Zion.

Every city, or "stake," including a chief town and surrounding towns, has its president, with two counselors; and this president has a high council of chosen men. --Schaff-Herzog Encyc.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Stake

Stake\, n. [AS. staca, from the root of E. stick; akin to OFries. & LG. stake, D. staak, Sw. stake, Dan. stage. See Stick, v. t., and cf. Estacade, Stockade.]

1. A piece of wood, usually long and slender, pointed at one end so as to be easily driven into the ground as a support or stay; as, a stake to support vines, fences, hedges, etc.

A sharpened stake strong Dryas found. --Dryden.

2. A stick inserted upright in a lop, eye, or mortise, at the side or end of a cart, a flat car, or the like, to prevent goods from falling off.

3. The piece of timber to which a martyr was affixed to be burned; hence, martyrdom by fire.

4. A small anvil usually furnished with a tang to enter a hole in a bench top, -- used by tinsmiths, blacksmiths, etc., for light work, punching upon, etc.

5. That which is laid down as a wager; that which is staked or hazarded; a pledge.

At stake, in danger; hazarded; pledged. "I see my reputation is at stake." --Shak.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Stake

Stake\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Staked; p. pr. & vb. n. Staking.]

1. To fasten, support, or defend with stakes; as, to stake vines or plants.

2. To mark the limits of by stakes; -- with out; as, to stake out land; to stake out a new road.

3. To put at hazard upon the issue of competition, or upon a future contingency; to wager; to pledge.

I'll stake yon lamb, that near the fountain plays. --Pope.

4. To pierce or wound with a stake. --Spectator.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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