stakes
part of speech
noun (a stake, stakes — plural form); verb (stake, stakes, staked, staking)
meaning for a pupil
1) Pointed wooden or metal posts pushed into the ground, for example to hold up plants or a tent. tree →
2) Money or something valuable risked in a bet or game; «the stakes are high» means a lot can be won or lost. tree →
3) A share in a business: «a stake in the company». tree →
4) (verb) Third-person form of «stake»: risks something, or marks land with posts. tree →
5) (history) A post at which people were once killed by burning, as in «burned at the stake». tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life, gardeners use stakes to support tomatoes and tents are fixed with stakes (also called pegs). In sport and games, «high stakes» means a match matters a lot. In history lessons, people accused of heresy or witchcraft were sometimes burned at the stake. In money talk, «a stake» is part ownership. Phrases: «at stake» (at risk), «high stakes», «stake a claim».
examples
- Push the stakes into the ground to hold the tent. tree →
- Tie the beans to the stakes so they grow straight. tree →
- The stakes are high: the winner goes to the final. tree →
- Our team's place in the league is at stake. tree →
- He staked all his sweets on winning the game. tree →
- Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431. tree →
- She owns a stake in her family's bakery. tree →
- “O son of a king,” said she, “I demand a game with you for stakes.” tree →
note
Countable. Homophone: «steaks» (pieces of meat) — «stakes» are posts or bets. «At stake» means at risk (not a meat!). In maths with money, «stake» is the amount bet.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «stakes» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.