A Quick and Simple Dictionary

stake

1. Noun.  A piece of wood or other material, 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.
2. Noun.  A slender rod, or stick, to be driven into the ground as a mark.
3. Noun.  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.
4. Noun.  The piece of timber to which a martyr was affixed to be burned.
5. Noun.  A share or interest in a business or a given situation (in the sense ''"stake a claim"'').
6. Noun.  A small anvil usually furnished with a tang to enter a hole in a bench top, as used by tinsmiths, blacksmiths, etc., for light work, punching upon, etc.
7. Noun.  That which is laid down as a wager; that which is staked or hazarded; a pledge.
8. Noun.  (Mormonism) A territorial division.
9. Verb.  (transitive) To fasten, support, or defend with stakes; as, to stake vines or plants.
10. Verb.  (transitive) To pierce or wound with a stake.
11. Verb.  (transitive) To put at hazard upon the issue of competition, or upon a future contingency; to wager; to pledge.
12. Verb.  (transitive, poker) To provide another with money in order to play.