ante
- 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.
- 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.
- Poker. to put one's initial stake into the pot.
- Informal. to pay (usually followed by up).
Origin of ante
ante-
- a prefix meaning “before,” used in the formation of compound words: anteroom; antebellum; antedate.
Origin of ante-
vide ante
- see before (used especially to refer a reader to parts of a text).
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 second upped the ante, taking aim at “cray,” “jelly,” “literally,” “teehee,” and “totes.”
Hoenig, apparently wanting to continue being booked on Fox News, felt the need to up the anti-Muslim ante.
You can up the ante even more by signing a contract agreeing to pay a pal $20 every time you skip Pilates.
The ante has been upped and now things are getting kind of fun.
Historical Examples of ante
I confess that, when I beheld you in the ante room, I blushed for my past forgetfulness.
Calderon The CourtierEdward Bulwer-Lytton
By instinct, I suppose, I drifted towards my ante bellum quarters.
Southern Lights and ShadowsVarious
One (called Chipadzi's) has been already mentioned (see p. 75, ante).
Impressions of South AfricaJames Bryce
If it was a bid for him to raise the ante, Morgan was starting off on a lame leg, he said.
Trail's EndGeorge W. Ogden
These books contain the record kept by the Kirm-ul-Ktibn, (Ante p. 141).
The Faith of IslamEdward Sell
ante
- 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
- to place (one's stake) in poker
- (usually foll by up) informal, mainly US to pay
ante-
- before in time or position; previous to; in front ofantedate; antechamber
Word Origin for ante-
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-
- Prior to; earlier:antenatal.
- In front of; before:antebrachium.