Real Dictionary

stake
countable noun: If you have a stake in something such as a business, it matters to you, for example because you own part of it or because its success or failure will affect you.
plural noun: The stakes involved in a contest or a risky action are the things that can be gained or lost.
verb: If you stake something such as your money or your reputation on the result of something, you risk your money or reputation on it.

stake in American English
a length of wood or metal pointed at one end for driving into the ground, as for marking a boundary, supporting a plant, etc.
to mark the location or boundaries of with or as with stakes

stake in American English 1
noun: a stick or post pointed at one end for driving into the ground as a boundary mark, part of a fence, support for a plant, etc

stake in American English 2
noun: something that is wagered in a game, race, or contest

stake in British English 1
noun: a stick or metal bar driven into the ground as a marker, part of a fence, support for a plant, etc

stake in British English 2
noun: the money or valuables that a player must hazard in order to buy into a gambling game or make a bet