up the ante
The phrase "up the ante" originates from poker and is widely used to describe increasing stakes, risks, or demands in various situations.
Definition
C1General
(idiomatic)To increase the stakes or demands in a situation to achieve a greater outcome.
Example
- The company decided to up the ante by launching a more aggressive marketing campaign.
- In the negotiation, each side kept upping the ante to gain the upper hand.
C1Competition
(idiomatic)To raise the level of risk or challenge in a competitive situation.
Example
- To win the championship, the team had to up the ante and train harder than ever before.
- She upped the ante by setting a higher goal for the project.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "up the ante":
raise the stakesante upamp upstep uptake it to the next levelsweeten the potturn up the heatgo one bettercrank upone upkick uphot upramp updouble downbump upmove upamped upplay upjack uppump upon the upspice updouble uphike upvalue raisetrade upleg uprun upvamp upgo uptalk upadd fuel to the firesex uptable stakespimp upget it upfront upcranked upgee upbid downfight uphype upcrease upchange uppenny antestiff uptrump upget a leg uplevel upjazz up