at stake

Slang Dictionary

stake (so/sth) definition


  1. tv.
    to position a person so that someone or something can be observed or followed. : Marlowe staked out the apartment building and watched patiently for an hour.
  2. tv.
    to position a person to observe someone or something. : We staked out two men to keep watch.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

at stake

At risk to be won or lost, as in We have a great deal at stake in this transaction. This phrase uses stake in the sense of something that is wagered. Shakespeare used it in Troilus and Cressida (3:3): "I see my reputation is at stake." [Late 1500s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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