Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One who has a share or an interest, as in an enterprise.
  • noun One who holds the bets in a game or contest.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One who holds the stakes, or with whom the bets are deposited when a wager is laid.
  • noun In law, one holding a fund which two or more claim adversely to each other.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The holder of a stake; one with whom the bets are deposited when a wager is laid.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A person holding the stakes of bettors, with the responsibility of delivering the pot to the winner of the bet.
  • noun An escrow agent or custodian.
  • noun law A person filing an interpleader action, such as a garnishee or trustee, who acknowledges possession of property that is owed to one or more of several other claimants.
  • noun A person or organisation with a legitimate interest in a given situation, action or enterprise.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun someone entrusted to hold the stakes for two or more persons betting against one another; must deliver the stakes to the winner

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From stake +‎ holder.

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Examples

Comments

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  • T.H.E.: 'Academics never had to worry about shareholders, but that mythical being, the stakeholder, now dominates their lives. Despite their diversity, there is no shortage of people who not only claim to know what stakeholders want, but are also determined to ensure that academics provide it.'

    December 23, 2008

  • I hear this at work too often. Unhelpfully, it just makes me think of killing vampires.

    April 22, 2009

  • Worst. Word. Ever.

    (Well, among the worst anyhow. Gah!)

    May 31, 2011

  • Unless your name is Buffy.

    May 31, 2011

  • True enough. :)

    May 31, 2011

  • I don't know. I've staked plenty a vegetable plant, in which case I was both the stakeholder and the stakedriver. Stakes keep thos 'maters from a rottin' on the ground...

    May 31, 2011