Definition of breath for Students. 1  1 : ability to breathe : ease of breathing I lost my breath for a moment. 2  2 : air taken in or sent out by the lungs Hold your breath. 3  3 : a slight breeze a breath of wind.
Definition of 'raise the stakes'. raise the stakes. a. to increase the amount of money or valuables hazarded in a gambling game. b. to increase the costs, risks, or considerations involved in taking an action or reaching a conclusion. the Libyan allegations raised the stakes in the propaganda war between Libya and the United States. stake.
Upping the ante comes from betting games. The ante is the amount that all players must commit to the pot before the game begins. (The pot is what is won in the game, and will be the total of the ante plus all bets during the game.) Because a player must at minimum ante up, or pay the ante, in order to be allowed to play the game, upping the ante can quickly demonstrate how serious, committed, and solvent a player is. The significance of upping the ante is that it increases the overall cost of the game, hence the idiomatic meaning of increasing the cost or risk of something.