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Pay what is due, contribute; by extension, do one's share. For example, The trustees were asked to ante up $10,000 each for the new scholarship, or Tired of watching Joe sit around while they cleaned up, the roommates told him to ante up or move out. This expression comes from poker and other betting games, where to ante signifies making a bet or contribution to the pot before the cards are dealt. It was being used more loosely by the mid-1800s. Also see raise the ante.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
