up the ante

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Verb

up the ante

1. (poker) To raise the stakes of a hand of poker

   Synonyms: raise the stakes

   With three aces and two jacks, he thought it was safe to up the ante

2. (dispute) To take an action that raises the stakes, i.e. that increases the chances of conflict.
3. (idiomatic) To make something more difficult.

   When runners cross-train for events, they often up the ante by running on sand.

4. (idiomatic) To make something more desirable.

   Synonyms: sweeten the pot

   The school system cannot raise teachers' salaries, so they are providing better benefits as an effort to up the ante.

Translations

• French: faire monter les enchères, augmenter la mise, monter la barre, mettre la barre plus haut, surenchérir
• Italian: alzare la posta
• Russian: поднима́ть ста́вки
• Spanish: redoblar la apuesta

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