that can be won or lost, depending on the success of a particular action :
We cannot afford to take risks when peoples' lives are at stake.
The prize at stake is a place in the final.
that can be won or lost, depending on the success of a particular action :
We cannot afford to take risks when peoples' lives are at stake.
The prize at stake is a place in the final.
Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary. Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне. 2005