up the ante
To raise the stakes of a hand of pokerTo raise the stakes of a hand of poker.
» Gauge queens constantly up the ante in order to assert their commitment to a counter cultural look.
sacredceltic · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
4 sensesTo raise the stakes of a hand of poker.
With three aces and two jacks, he thought it was safe to up the ante.
поднима́ть ста́вкиpodnimátʹ stávki, подня́ть ста́вкиpodnjátʹ stávki
підніма́ти ста́вкиpidnimáty stávky, підня́ти ста́вкиpidnjáty stávky
(idiomatic)Of a dispute, to take an action that raises the stakes, i.e. that increases the chances of conflict.
(idiomatic)To render something more difficult.
When runners cross-train for events, they often up the ante by running on sand.
(idiomatic)To render something more desirable.
The school system cannot raise teachers' salaries, so they are providing better benefits as an effort to up the ante.
Examples
1 sentencesGauge queens constantly up the ante in order to assert their commitment to a counter cultural look.
Translations
7 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Forms
ups the ante, upping the ante, upped the ante, upped the ante| Base form | up the ante · to up the ante |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | ups the ante |
| Present participle | upping the ante |
| Past simple | upped the ante |
| Past participle | upped the ante |
irregular
Synonyms
3 synonymsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.