stake2
• noun 1 a sum of money gambled on a risky game or venture. 2 a share or interest in a business or situation. 3 (stakes) prize money. 4 (stakes) a competitive situation: one step ahead in the fashion stakes. • verb gamble (money or something of value). — PHRASES at stake 1 at risk. 2 at issue or in question. — ORIGIN perhaps from STAKE1, from the notion of an object being placed as a wager on a post or stake.
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