stakes 1 of 2

Definition of stakesnext
plural of stake
1
as in interests
a legal right to participation in the advantages, profits, and responsibility of something if I invest in your business, I expect a stake in it in return

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in bets
the money or thing risked on the outcome of an uncertain event lost his entire stake with a single roll of the dice

Synonyms & Similar Words

stakes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of stake

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stakes
Noun
The denial effectively clears the way for the administration to seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court, potentially placing the dispute on the justices’ fast-moving emergency docket and setting up a high-stakes test of presidential power over federal prosecutors. Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 27 Jan. 2026 Low-stakes, consistent connection matters. Dr. Liz Doe Stone, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026 This limitation becomes critical when generative AI’s inability to recognize its own uncertainty can have serious consequences, particularly in high-stakes applications such as medical diagnosis, financial advice and autonomous vehicle decision-making. Ricky J. Sethi, The Conversation, 26 Jan. 2026 In the high-stakes game against the Rams in December, Shaheed was the top catalyst to the Seahawks’ historic comeback victory. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026 Just last week, Mitsubishi and Shell were reportedly looking into selling part of their stakes in big Canadian liquid-natural-gas projects, as the demand for solar power surges across Asia. Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026 Conversations between Linda and Bradley play like a high-stakes battle of wits, but their director is never so far away as to make the match feel lawless. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026 In the midst of a high-stakes encounter, an officer may not have time to process his thoughts, according to Robinette. Mark Morales, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026 Yet the promise felt realest only in smaller tools with clearer stakes—especially the ones built for people who are blind or have limited vision. Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
Mexicali stakes a claim to the clamato cocktail, a heady blend of vodka, clam juice and other ingredients invented in the 1960s by a bartender at the city’s Acueducto Piano Bar. Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026 San Miguel Chapel Located along the Old Santa Fe Trail in the Barrio de Analco Historic District, this Spanish colonial mission church stakes its claim as the oldest in the United States. Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 16 Jan. 2026 The Scout, originally produced by International Harvester from 1961 to 1980, stakes its claim as the world’s first utility vehicle. Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 12 Jan. 2026 Gliding gracefully through the mix of styles and languages — from Mandarin and Arabic to German and her native Spanish — Rosalia further stakes her claim as one of most fascinating voices in music today. Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2025 With assists from Jeff Parker, Meg Duffy, and others, the versatile drummer’s latest album stakes its claim at the shifting border between jazz and electronic music. Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 20 Dec. 2025 In terms of food, true to its name, Prime 47 stakes its reputation on prime cuts, including a $147 24-ounce tomahawk ribeye (more frugal diners might opt for the $74 Delmonico ribeye). Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 5 Dec. 2025 There’s an indulgent satisfaction to these films, most notably on display in this new trailer when Gellar literally stakes Weaving in the heart (or … the shoulder, most likely), that prevents them for tipping into a haughty self-seriousness. Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2025 Every great novel stakes an implicit claim about what a novel can and should do. New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stakes
Noun
  • Aliya Wishner, a spokeswoman for the mayor's office, dismissed Rokita's complaints about the sale, saying IAA board members must act in the agency's best interests regardless of who appoints them.
    Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 3 Feb. 2026
  • Weiss reiterated that changes in tort law favoring business interests have increased claim denials and litigation.
    J.C. Hallman, Oklahoman, 3 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • The firm had been the inspiration that led him to a career in venture capital, and John Doerr, the legendary Kleiner rainmaker who made early bets on Google, Amazon, and Netscape, had been his role model.
    Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Sportsbooks set odds and accept bets on games and players and are often tied to casinos, operating both online and in physical locations.
    Sofia Chierchio, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The Netherlands funds 36 kinds of schools while requiring students in all of them to take common, knowledge-rich assessments.
    Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 1 Feb. 2026
  • The agreement funds most federal agencies through September but extends Department of Homeland Security funding for only two weeks.
    Joey Cappelletti, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • This puts American battery and mineral recyclers at a competitive disadvantage against recyclers in Basel member countries — including China.
    Kristen Edgreen Kaufman, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
  • The versatile beach takes up a mile-long stretch just beyond downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea, which puts it walking distance from a whole bunch of cute shops and restaurants.
    Alanna Bennett, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • But concerns that overbuilding in Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf markets may create a glut of luxury hotels and residences have now dragged DarGlobal’s shares back below eight dollars.
    David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Flexjet, like several peers, reported record demand in the last quarter of 2025, while the fractional model—where owners purchase shares of an aircraft—was up 24 percent for the year.
    Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 31 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The wagers, which amounted to bets that the yen would strengthen, shrank by the most for any three-day period since October 2022, according to Bloomberg’s analysis of the figures.
    Ruth Carson, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026
  • While that was enough to sway wagers on sites like Kalshi and Polymarket, some on Wall Street are less convinced and still see it as a competitive race yet to be decided by a notoriously fickle president.
    Jeff Cox, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Gisela Sánchez Maroto In 2023, Gisela Sánchez Maroto became the first woman to lead the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, an $18 billion (assets) multilateral development bank that finances infrastructure, energy, health and education projects across Central America and the Caribbean.
    Maggie McGrath, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
  • The tax money supports the district’s operating fund, which finances bus transportation, utility bills, repairs and maintenance.
    Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Stakes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stakes. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.

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