stake

/steɪk/ noun

Definition

› [C, usually singular] FINANCE the amount that someone has invested in a company, often expressed as a percentage of the total share capital (= money invested in a business in the form of shares): a 15%/3%/10%, etc. stake His 22% stake makes him the retailer's biggest shareholder.have/hold/own a stake (in sth) The Chief Executive has a controlling stake in the company worth €58m. acquire/buy/sell a stake (in sth) increase/raise/reduce a stake (in sth)

have a stake in sth › if you have a stake in something, its success or failure will have an effect on you: All three officials have a personal stake in the President's re-election as it would allow them to keep their jobs.

stakes [plural] › the amount of money you risk losing by guessing the result of something wrongly: The City continued to play for high stakes in shares of the airline. › in a business activity, the stakes are the level of risk and possible profit involved: Given the high stakes for both hardware makers and software suppliers, neither side is likely to give up easily.

at stake › if something like money, a job, or someone's reputation is at stake, it is in danger of being lost because of a particular situation: The company's reputation is at stake and they need to act quickly and decisively. Up to 300 jobs are thought to be at stake at head office.

→ See also equity stake, majority stake, minority stake

(Definition of stake noun from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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