stake something ↔ out phrasal verb informal ( see also ↑ stake )
1 . to watch a place secretly and continuously ⇨ stakeout :
Police officers have been staking out the warehouse for weeks.
2 . to mark or control a particular area so that you can have it or use it:
We went to the show early to stake out a good spot.
3 . to state your opinions about something in a way that shows how your ideas are clearly separate from other people’s ideas:
Johnson staked out the differences between himself and the other candidates.