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Glite Dictionary
to up the ante

to up the ante

9 7.0
To raise the level of risk or what people expect
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : aumentar la apuesta
  • To win the competition, we decided to up the ante by offering better prizes.

And so you're upping the ante for kids, which is important.

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Examples

  • Evidently, we must up the ante in this little game of ours.

    The Hustle (2019)

  • Human nature is to continually up the ante until one side has no more stomach for it.

    Blog text (19)

  • I just need to up the ante a little.

    Firewall (2006)

  • I needed to up the ante a bit.

    Hostel: Part III (2011)

  • We need to up the ante.

    Wild Child (2008)

  • To get her own way, she would have to up the ante.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • If they want to compete in this space, Apple will need to up the ante on this thing.

    Blog text (25)

  • Future Democratic candidates are just going to up the ante.

    Blog text (19)

  • Well, if they need us so badly they'll have to up the ante.

    The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970)

  • Iran's inclusion in and loyalty to this energy club would significantly up the ante and give rise to legitimate concerns of energy security for many nations.

    Academic text (2007)

Synonyms

to escalate
vsto up the ante
220 5.5

To become larger, more serious, or more intense

targets higher risk or demands rather than only greater intensity
to intensify
vsto up the ante
110 4.0

Make something stronger or more intense

specifically raises risk or demands rather than simply increasing strength
to step up
vsto up the ante
74 3.4

Make something greater in amount, speed or strength

specifically increases risk or demands rather than broad increases
to heat up
vsto up the ante
57 3.4

To become more intense or make a situation more intense

specifically raises risk or demands rather than just increasing excitement
to ramp up
vsto up the ante
47 4.1

To increase something, especially its amount or speed

is about raising stakes or risk rather than operational scale
to turn up the heat
vsto up the ante
26 4.2

Make a situation more urgent to force someone to act

can raise demands or risk but emphasizes urgency and forcing action
to bump up
vsto up the ante
23 3.4

To raise prices or amounts by a lot

often increases stakes more strategically rather than by a small lift
to ratchet up
vsto up the ante
18 6.7

To increase something slowly until it becomes hard to reduce

is a deliberate rise in risk or demands not only gradual change
to raise the stakes
vsto up the ante
14 4.9

An action that increases the risk and possible reward in a situation

focuses on raising demands or stakes rather than general strength
to jack up
vsto up the ante
  • Informal
12 5.9

To raise prices or rent suddenly by a lot

can raise risk or demands but differs in sudden, large action
to turn up the pressure
vsto up the ante
1 3.9

To try to make someone change what they do by making them feel more stress

is about increasing risk or demands rather than mainly pressuring people
to pile on the pressure
vsto up the ante
1 4.4

To give someone more stress to make them change their mind

applies pressure by raising stakes broadly rather than focusing on a person
to hot up
vsto up the ante
  • UK
1 7.7

To become more active or exciting in a situation

focuses on raising risks or demands rather than general increased activity
to crank up to eleven
vsto up the ante
  • Slang
8.6

To increase something to its highest or most extreme level

involves increasing risk or demands but not always to the extreme

Antonyms

to back off
  • Informal
356 2.8

Move away from someone, or stop taking part in something

How Risky

to up the ante
9 7.0
to ratchet up
18 6.7
to escalate
220 5.5

Surface Forms

up the ante infinitive
up the anteed past
up the anteed past participle
up the anteing present participle
ups the ante third person singular

Morphology

up + the + ante

The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: 'up' = to raise/increase and 'ante' = a stake/bet, so 'up the ante' literally means to raise the stake and figuratively to increase demands or risk. This gambling-to-general metaphor is regular and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The phrase up the ante comes from card games where the ante was a small 'bet' players put into the pile, and to up the ante meant adding more money. That's why it now means 'to increase the stakes' or make a situation more risky or demanding.