stake (one's) claim

stake (one's) claim

To assert one's ownership of or right to something. John rushed to New York to stake his claim to his father's inheritance money.See also: claim, stake

stake (out) a/your ˈclaim to somebody/something

say that you have a special interest in somebody/something, or have a right to own something, especially to warn other people not to take it: Both countries have staked out a claim to the land.If you staked out your claim to some land, you put stakes (= wooden posts) in the ground to mark the limits of land that you claimed was yours.See also: claim, somebody, something, stake