Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

stake

2 verb
     
stake2 [transitive]
1 to risk losing something that is valuable or important to you on the result of something
stake something on somebody/something
Kevin is staking his reputation on the success of the project.
Jim staked his whole fortune on one card game.
2

I'd stake my life on it

spoken used when saying that you are completely sure that something is true, or that something will happen:
I'm sure that's Jesse - I'd stake my life on it.
3 also stake up to support something with stakes:
Young trees have to be staked.
4 also stake off to mark or enclose an area of ground with stakes:
A corner of the field has been staked off.
5

stake (out) a claim

to say publicly that you think you have a right to have or own something
stake (out) a claim to
Both countries staked a claim to the islands.

stake something ↔ out

phrasal verb
1 to watch a place secretly and continuously [↪ stakeout]:
Police officers have been staking out the warehouse for weeks.
2 to mark or control a particular area so that you can have it or use it:
We went to the show early to stake out a good spot.
3 to state your opinions about something in a way that shows how your ideas are clearly separate from other people's ideas:
Johnson staked out the differences between himself and the other candidates.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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