high-stakes competition
- noun
:
competencia de alto riesgo
Examples
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Noting Putin's "bustling energy diplomacy," one observer noted that Russia has "new and newly invigorated goals to win the high-stakes competition for energy deals and favorable transportation routes."
Academic text (2004) -
The high-stakes competition for the best universities can be intense for students.
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In the world of business, securing a contract often involves a high-stakes competition among multiple companies.
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The athletes prepared for the high-stakes competition, knowing that the winner would earn a valuable scholarship.
Synonyms
4
5.5
A situation with very big risks and important results for people involved
A situation that has big risks and serious results for the people involved, like a trial or business deal
Surface Forms
Morphology
high-stakes + competition
The meaning is largely built from 'high' (large/important) + 'stakes' (risks or rewards), so a learner who knows the figurative sense of 'stakes' can transparently derive 'competition with significant risks or rewards'. However, the noun 'stakes' in the figurative sense may be unfamiliar to an average B1 learner (who may only know literal senses like a wooden stake), so comprehension is conditional. Because understanding depends on knowledge of this particular metaphorical sense rather than purely regular composition, the expression is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
High-stakes competition comes from games where people put money or something valuable at risk. Stakes are what you risk, and when the stakes are 'high' a lot is on the line, so a high-stakes competition is a contest with very big 'risks' or 'rewards'.