Meaning & use
upped the ante
Last updated
“upped the ante” is a form of “up the ante”.
Meanings
phraseidiominformal
Raised the level of risk, cost or demand in a competition, negotiation or argument.
Grammar: Past form of up the ante; no object needed: the union upped the ante.
Patterns
- up the ante
- up the ante by doing something
The union upped the ante by threatening a nationwide strike.
Both companies upped the ante in the race to launch first.
After the first complaint failed, she upped the ante and wrote to the board.
phraseidiomspecialist
Increased the amount of money each player must bet in a card game, especially poker.
Grammar: The original gambling sense, still used literally at card tables.
Patterns
- up the ante in a game
The dealer upped the ante, and two players folded.
With a big pot on the table, he upped the ante to see who was bluffing.
Word forms
| present | ups the ante |
|---|---|
| past | upped the ante |
| -ing form | upping the ante |
Common combinations
- really upped the ante
- The rival bid really upped the ante.
- upped the ante by
- The protesters upped the ante by blocking the road.
- upped the ante in negotiations
- The buyer upped the ante in negotiations.
- upped the ante again
- The company upped the ante again with a bigger offer.
- upped the ante on spending
- The party upped the ante on spending promises.
Synonyms and how they differ
- escalated
- This is more formal and neutral, while upped the ante suggests a bold, risky move in a contest.
- raised the stakes
- This is nearly the same idiom but stresses what might be lost, rather than a new demand.
- stepped up
- This means increased effort or intensity, without the sense of increased risk.
- went one better
- This means to beat someone's previous effort, while upped the ante makes the situation riskier.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: upped the ante or anti?
upped the ante vs anti
Anti means against, and it is spelled differently from ante, which is a stake in a game.
Practice
When the first offer was refused, the buyer ___ and offered twice as much.
Choose one answer.
Upped the ante means raised the level of the stakes, which fits the doubled offer. Dropped the ball means made a mistake, and the others have different meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “upped the ante”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.