The stakes are high

T

tamthoi07

New Member
Vietnam, Vietnamese
Hi,

"The stakes are high" is often used by media reporters when talking about developments in politic, economic, social, etc. issues. How should I understand this sentence?

Many thanks!
 
    • 'Stakes' are the amount of prize money that is won by a bettor or a participant in a game.

    'The stakes are high' means that the participants have a lot to gain or lose.
     
    If I bet five dollars on a horse, the stake is low. (The stake is the amount of money I've gambled.)

    If I bet five hundred thousand dollars, the stake is high. That means, if things go wrong, I will lose a lot.

    So

    If I am a politician, and I take a big risk, maybe I could lose my job, my reputation, money, my family . . . Even though it's not an actual stake, we say "the stakes are high" because if my risk-taking doesn't work out, I will lose a lot.
     
    The Slippery Slide said:
    If I bet five dollars on a horse, the stake is low. (The stake is the amount of money I've gambled.)

    If I bet five hundred thousand dollars, the stake is high. That means, if things go wrong, I will lose a lot.

    So

    If I am a politician, and I take a big risk, maybe I could lose my job, my reputation, money, my family . . . Even though it's not an actual stake, we say "the stakes are high" because if my risk-taking doesn't work out, I will lose a lot.
    Click to expand...

    Many thanks, my friends, for you help!
     
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