Stake Definition

A length of wood or metal pointed at one end for driving into the ground, as for marking a boundary, supporting a plant, etc.

The post to which a person was tied for execution by burning.

Execution by burning.

A pole or post fitted upright into a socket, as at the edge of a railway flatcar, truck bed, etc. to help hold a load.

A territorial division consisting of a group of wards under the jurisdiction of a president.

To mark the location or boundaries of with or as with stakes.

To establish (a claim) in this way.

To support (a plant, etc.) by tying to a stake.

To hitch or tether to a stake.

To impale with a stake.

An ownership interest that one company acquires in another that represents less than 100 percent ownership. A company takes a stake in another company in order to obtain the rights to a product or territory that will strategically help it. Companies are willing to sell stakes in themselves for a cash infusion or to partner with a larger competitor and thus improve their relative standing in the market. Often, stakes are popular ways to expand overseas and give both companies an opportunity to work together before considering whether a merger would be appropriate. However, just because a company takes a stake in another one doesn’t mean that a merger will be the next step.