stake out

stake someone or something out 

1. to position a person so that someone or something can be observed or followed. The cops staked the car out and made the arrest. Barlowe staked out the apartment building and watched patiently for an hour.

2. to position a person to observe someone or something. He staked his best operative out in front of the building. We staked out two men to keep watch.

See also: out, stake

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stake somebody out also stake out somebody

watch someone, often secretly A television news crew staked her out from a next-door neighbor's yard. For a week, police staked out the suspect.

See also: out, stake

stake out something

1. to claim something belongs to you To avoid a long wait to eat lunch, one of you stakes out a table and the other gets the food. Lars staked out a cot in a third-floor bedroom and tried to make it seem like his own space.

2. to secretly watch a place Private detectives staked out their house, went through their garbage, and interviewed their neighbors.

See also: out, stake