ante

¹ American  

[an-tee] / ˈæn ti /

noun

1. Poker. a fixed but arbitrary stake put into the pot by each player before the deal.

2. an amount of money paid in advance to insure an individual's share in a joint business venture.

3. Informal. an individual's share of the total expenses incurred by a group.

4. Informal. the price or cost of something.

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verb (used with object)

anted, anteed, anteing

1. Poker. to put (one's initial stake) into the pot.

2. to produce or pay (one's share) (usually followed byup ).

   He anted up his half of the bill.

verb (used without object)

anted, anteed, anteing

1. Poker. to put one's initial stake into the pot.

2. Informal. to pay (usually followed byup ).

ante- ² American  

1. a prefix meaning “before,” used in the formation of compound words.

   anteroom; antebellum; antedate.

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ante ¹ British  

/ ˈæntɪ /

noun

1. the gaming stake put up before the deal in poker by the players

2. informal a sum of money representing a person's share, as in a syndicate

3. informal to increase the costs, risks, or considerations involved in taking an action or reaching a conclusion

   whenever they reached their goal, they upped the ante by setting more complex challenges for themselves

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verb

1. to place (one's stake) in poker

2. informal (usually foll by up) to pay

ante- ² British  

prefix

1. before in time or position; previous to; in front of

   antedate

   antechamber

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Etymology

Origin of ante¹

First recorded in 1830–40, independent use of ante-

Origin of ante-²

From Latin, prefixal form of preposition and adverb ante ( ancient ¹ ); akin to Greek antí, Old English and- “against, toward, opposite.” See answer, and, anti-

Example Sentences

“We are not anticipating a restoration of the status quo ante on growth, employment, inflation, oil prices or gasoline prices given the dynamics of the conflict at this time,” he adds.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

In essence, the neighboring sale upped the ante as far as Behar’s listing is concerned—and also encouraged her agents to start thinking about other ways they could prove the home’s potential to prospective buyers.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

Brady upped the ante after Sports Illustrated playfully asked how many WWE wrestlers it would take to sack him.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

On Wednesday, following the Fed’s rate announcement, Powell upped the ante.

From Slate • Mar. 19, 2026

Orbital flights—which sent the astronaut on one or more ninety-minute circuits around the globe, passing out of visual and radio contact with Mission Control, flying over unfriendly territory—upped the ante by a factor.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly