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.
Thus, upping the ante means to raise the stakes or increase the risk of a project. You can ante up any amount - some people play for pennies, and some for thousands of dollars. Up the ante is a poker-derived idiom that means to raise the stakes, to put more at risk, both in poker and in one's personal life. The ante is the enforced bet that poker players must put into the pot before they can play a hand of poker. If you up the ante, you increase the amount of the bets. Thus, upping the ante means to raise the stakes or increase the risk of a project. You can ante up any amount - some people play for pennies, and some for thousands of dollars.