ante

[an-tee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ante ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

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

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

Informal. the price or cost of something.

verb (used with object), an·ted or an·teed, an·te·ing.

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

to produce or pay (one's share) (usually followed by up): He anted up his half of the bill.

verb (used without object), an·ted or an·teed, an·te·ing.

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

Informal. to pay (usually followed by up).

Origin of ante

1830–40, Americanism; independent use of ante-

Can be confusedante ante- anti- auntie

ante-

a prefix meaning “before,” used in the formation of compound words: anteroom; antebellum; antedate.

Origin of ante-

< Latin, prefixal form of preposition and adv. ante (see ancient¹); akin to Greek antí, Old English and- against, toward, opposite. See answer, and, anti-

Can be confusedante ante- anti- auntie

vide ante

[wee-de ahn-te; English vahy-dee an-tee, vee-]

Latin.

see before (used especially to refer a reader to parts of a text).

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ante

pay, pot, stake, price

Examples from the Web for ante

Contemporary Examples of ante

Joseph LaRocca says some companies are upping the ante in terms of fending off return fraudsters.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks
M.L. Nestel
December 19, 2014
The second upped the ante, taking aim at “cray,” “jelly,” “literally,” “teehee,” and “totes.”
Feminist, Bae, Turnt: Time’s ‘Worst Words’ List Is Sexist and Racist
Samantha Allen
November 13, 2014
Hoenig, apparently wanting to continue being booked on Fox News, felt the need to up the anti-Muslim ante.
The Fox News Apology Tour
Dean Obeidallah
October 1, 2014
You can up the ante even more by signing a contract agreeing to pay a pal $20 every time you skip Pilates.
4 Science-Backed Ways to Motivate Yourself to Work Out
DailyBurn
September 13, 2014
The ante has been upped and now things are getting kind of fun.
I Took The One ‘Hour Of Code’ Challenge
Jane Frye
December 12, 2013

Historical Examples of ante

I confess that, when I beheld you in the ante room, I blushed for my past forgetfulness.
Calderon The Courtier
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
By instinct, I suppose, I drifted towards my ante bellum quarters.
Southern Lights and Shadows
Various
One (called Chipadzi's) has been already mentioned (see p. 75, ante).
Impressions of South Africa
James Bryce
If it was a bid for him to raise the ante, Morgan was starting off on a lame leg, he said.
Trail's End
George W. Ogden
These books contain the record kept by the Kirm-ul-Ktibn, (Ante p. 141).
The Faith of Islam
Edward Sell

British Dictionary definitions for ante

ante

noun

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

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

up the ante informal to increase the costs, risks, or considerations involved in taking an action or reaching a conclusionwhenever they reached their goal, they upped the ante by setting more complex challenges for themselves

verb -tes, -teing, -ted or -teed

to place (one's stake) in poker

(usually foll by up) informal, mainly US to pay

ante-

prefix

before in time or position; previous to; in front ofantedate; antechamber

Word Origin for ante-

from Latin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ante

1838 (n.), 1846 (v.), American English poker slang, apparently from Latin ante "before," from PIE *anti "facing opposite, near, in front of, before" (cf. Sanskrit antah "end, border, boundary," Hittite hanti "opposite," Greek anta, anten "opposite," anti "over against, opposite, before;" Old Lithuanian anta "on to;" Gothic anda "along;" Old English and- "against;" German ent- "along, against"), from root *ant- "front, forehead."

ante-

word-forming element meaning "before, in front of; previous, existing beforehand; introductory to," from Latin ante (prep. and adv.) "before, in front of, opposite," used in combinations, from PIE *anti "facing opposite, near, in front of, before" (see ante).

ante in Medicine

ante-

pref.

Prior to; earlier:antenatal.

In front of; before:antebrachium.