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.
Characters might not be as eager to take the storyâs journey if they knew all the obstacles ahead of time. The stakes are a way to force characters not to give up or walk away in the face of a storyâs increasingly difficult conflicts and obstacles. Also, at their heart, stories arenât about plot.