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4 N‑COUNT 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. □ [+ in ] He enjoyed an entrepreneurial role where he had a big financial stake in his own efforts.

5 N‑PLURAL You can use stakes to refer to something that is like a contest. For example, you can refer to the choosing of a leader as the leadership stakes . □  She won hands down in the glamour stakes.

6 N‑COUNT A stake is a pointed wooden post which is pushed into the ground, for example in order to support a young tree.

7 PHRASE If you stake a claim , you say that something is yours or that you have a right to it. □  Jane is determined to stake her claim as an actress.

▸  stake out PHRASAL VERB If you stake out a position that you are stating or a claim that you are making, you are defending the boundaries or limits of the position or claim. □ [V P n] I am trying to stake out a position between extremes. COLLOCATIONS stake NOUN 4

noun + stake : equity, majority, minority

adjective + stake : high, large, significant; controlling

verb + stake : acquire, buy, take; sell; hold, own, retain

stake|hold|er /ste I khoʊldə ^r / (stakeholders ) N‑COUNT Stakeholders are people who have an interest in a company's or organization's affairs. [BUSINESS ]

sta ke|hold|er pe n|sion (stakeholder pensions ) N‑COUNT In Britain, a stakeholder pension is a flexible pension scheme with low charges. Both employees and the state contribute to the scheme, which is optional, and is in addition to the basic state pension. [BUSINESS ]

stake|out /ste I aʊt/ (stakeouts ) also stake-out N‑COUNT If police officers are on a stakeout , they are secretly watching a building for evidence of criminal activity.

stal|ac|tite /stæ ləkta I t, [AM ] stəlæ k-/ (stalactites ) N‑COUNT A stalactite is a long piece of rock which hangs down from the roof of a cave. Stalactites are formed by the slow dropping of water containing the mineral lime.

stal|ag|mite /stæ ləgma I t, [AM ] stəlæ g-/ (stalagmites ) N‑COUNT A stalagmite is a long piece of rock which sticks up from the floor of a cave. Stalagmites are formed by the slow dropping of water containing the mineral lime.

stale /ste I l/ (staler , stalest )

1 ADJ Stale food is no longer fresh or good to eat. □  Their daily diet consisted of a lump of stale bread, a bowl of rice and stale water.

2 ADJ Stale air or a stale smells is unpleasant because it is no longer fresh. □  A layer of smoke hung low in the stale air. □  …the smell of stale sweat.

3 ADJ If you say that a place, an activity, or an idea is stale , you mean that it has become boring because it is always the same. [DISAPPROVAL ] □  Her relationship with Mark has become stale.

stale|mate /ste I lme I t/ (stalemates )

1 N‑VAR Stalemate is a situation in which neither side in an argument or contest can win or in which no progress is possible. □  The President has ended the stalemate over cutting the country's budget deficit.

2 N‑VAR In chess, stalemate is a position in which a player cannot make any move which is allowed by the rules, so that the game ends and no one wins.

stalk /stɔː k/ (stalks , stalking , stalked )

1 N‑COUNT The stalk of a flower, leaf, or fruit is the thin part that joins it to the plant or tree. □  A single pale blue flower grows up from each joint on a long stalk. □  …corn stalks.

2 VERB If you stalk a person or a wild animal, you follow them quietly in order to kill them, catch them, or observe them carefully. □ [V n] He stalks his victims like a hunter after a deer.