monte

¹ American  

[mon-tee] / ˈmɒn ti /

noun

Cards.

1. Also called monte bank.  a gambling game played with a 40-card pack in which players bet that one of two layouts, each consisting of two cards drawn from either the top or bottom of the deck and turned face up, will be matched in suit by the next card turned up.

2. three-card monte.

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Monte ² American  

[mon-tee] / ˈmɒn ti /

noun

1. a male given name.

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monte British  

/ ˈmɒntɪ /

noun

1. a gambling card game of Spanish origin

2. informal a certainty

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Etymology

Origin of monte

1815–25; < Spanish: mountain, hence, heap (of cards); mount ²

Example Sentences

His three-card monte skills are storied in the neighborhood, but he’s determined to proceed down the straight and narrow.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2025

Activists at the time raised the alarm as they treated burns on animals displaced by the fires, including monitos del monte, - small nocturnal marsupials - and pudus, the world's smallest deer.

From Reuters • Jul. 13, 2023

"The old three card monte guys had to wait for people to walk around. Now you can reach out and find the three card monte enthusiast, and get them to come to you."

From Salon • Jul. 11, 2023

In the wide-open world of grifts and schemes, an overinflated basketball may not rank with identity theft, Facebook come-ons from a Nigerian prince or even a hurried game of three-card monte.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 18, 2023

Yakov won the first two games, but when it came time to find the Lady at three-card monte, he uncovered a worthless heart.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros