ante

[ an-tee ]

/ ˈæn ti /

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).

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Words related to ante

pay, pot, stake, price

Words nearby ante

antares, antarthritic, antasthmatic, antatrophic, antbird, ante, ante meridiem, ante up, ante-, ante-christum, ante-mortem

Origin of ante

1830–40, Americanism; independent use of ante-

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ante

ante ante- anti- auntie

Definition for ante (2 of 3)

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-

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ante-

ante ante- anti- auntie

Definition for ante (3 of 3)

vide ante

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

/ ˈwi dɛ ˈɑn tɛ; English ˈvaɪ di ˈæn ti, ˈvi- /

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
The persecutions, the separations, the estrangements, are all ante–nuptial.
John Marchmont's Legacy, Volumes I-III|Mary E. Braddon
His reputation as a bibliomaniac is fully recorded in the anecdote mentioned at p. 234, ante.
Bibliomania; or Book-Madness|Thomas Frognall Dibdin
Of Edward the Third's love of curiously bound books, see p. 118, ante.
Bibliomania; or Book-Madness|Thomas Frognall Dibdin
"I'll raise his ante, whatever it is," he said abruptly at length.
The Rules of the Game|Stewart Edward White
I raised the ‘ante’ and sold three hundred papers at ten cents each.
Modern Americans|Chester Sanford

British Dictionary definitions for ante (1 of 2)

ante

/ (ˈæntɪ) /

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

British Dictionary definitions for ante (2 of 2)

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

Medicine definitions for ante

ante-

pref.

Prior to; earlier:antenatal.

In front of; before:antebrachium.