ups the ante

Verb

up the ante (third-person singular simple present ups the ante, present participle upping the ante, simple past and past participle upped the ante)

1. To raise the stakes of a hand of poker.
   • With three aces and two jacks, he thought it was safe to up the ante.

   Synonyms:

   raise the ante, raise the stakes

2. (idiomatic) Of a dispute, to take an action that raises the stakes, i.e. that increases the chances of conflict.
3. (idiomatic) To render something more difficult.
   • When runners cross-train for events, they often up the ante by running on sand.
4. (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.

   Synonyms:

   sweeten the pot