Definition of: stake

(stāk) noun
1. A stick or post, as of wood sharpened for driving into the ground: used as a boundary mark, sign of ownership, to support the rails of a fence, etc.
2. A post to which a person is bound to be burned alive; hence, death by burning at the stake.
3. An upright, set in a socket at the edge of the floor of a car or wagon, to confine loose material.
4. Something wagered or risked, as the money bet on a race.
5. A prize in a contest: sometimes in the plural.
6. An interest in an enterprise; contingent gain or loss.
7. An organizational unit of the Mormon Church, consisting of several wards.
8. A grubstake.
—at stake In hazard or jeopardy; in question: My whole future was at stake.
—to pull up stakes To wind up one's business in a place and move on; move out.
—v.t. staked, stak·ing
1. To fasten or support by means of a stake; tether to a stake.
2. To mark the boundaries of with stakes: often with off or out.
3. Colloq. To put at hazard; wager; risk.
4. Colloq. To grubstake; also, to supply with working capital; finance. ♦ Homophone: steak. [OE staca]