ante

noun an·te \ ˈan-tē \

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

Definition of ante

1 : a poker stake usually put up before the deal to build the pot

The dealer called for a dollar ante.

2 a : cost, price

These improvements would raise the ante.

b : risk, stakes

The new law ups the ante on tax cheats.

c : a level (as of achievement or intensity) regarded especially as a goal or standard

a film that ups the ante on special effects

See ante defined for English-language learners

Examples of ante in a Sentence

the base price is $500, but any additional repairs will up the ante

Recent Examples of ante from the Web

And while some may have found the balaclava restrictive to their accessory game, Ri also upped the ante by attaching her earrings outside of the balaclava and liberally applying glittery Fenty Beauty eyeliner to her eyes.

— cady lang, Time, "Rihanna Was Almost Unrecognizable At Coachella," 17 Apr. 2018
President Trump upped the ante with his latest threat to impose tariffs on $100 billion of Chinese goods imported into the United States.

— washington post, BostonGlobe.com, "US financial markets slump on Trump’s threat to escalate trade dispute," 6 Apr. 2018
Carolina sent out a tweet to the Loyola basketball Twitter account, then upped the ante with custom swag.

— michael reader, charlotteobserver, "This nun is core to the heaven-sent story of the Final Four. The Panthers want in. | Charlotte Observer," 25 Mar. 2018
The ante is upped each year, and 2018 is no different.

— jake woolf, GQ, "Nike Is About to Drop an All-Star Sneaker Lineup," 8 Feb. 2018
Again, no response—so Rogen upped the ante even further by roping in Stephen Colbert, who realized that Trump Jr. followed him on Twitter as well.

— yohana desta, HWD, "Seth Rogen: Stormy Daniels Told Me About the Trump Affair Years Ago," 3 Apr. 2018
But in recent weeks, with Facebook embroiled in yet another scandal, Cook has upped the ante.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Tim Cook and Zuckerberg Feud Over Who Is Less Evil," 2 Apr. 2018
This latest look upped the ante and infused her ensemble with effortless polish.

— edward barsamian, Vogue, "Victoria Beckham Channels a Cool French Girl in Miami," 2 Apr. 2018
Analysts noted that with Thursday's precisely equivalent expulsions, Russia was making a point of not upping the ante — at least for now.

— laura king, latimes.com, "Cold War-style chill as Russia expels 60 American diplomats, scores of European ones," 29 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ante.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ante

borrowed from Latin ante "before, preceding" — more at ante-

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1821

See Words from the same year

ante Synonyms

Synonyms

charge, cost, damage, fee, figure, freight, price, price tag;

Related Words

market value, valuation, value;

asking price, list price, sticker price;

price point, rate, tariff, unit price;

carrying charge, overcharge, service charge (also service fee), surcharge;

account, bill, check, invoice, tab;

Other Game Terms

bezique, carom, convention, crap, euchre, gambit, monte, parlay, tierce

ante

verb

Definition of ante

anted; anteing

transitive verb

: to put up (an ante); also : pay, produce —usually used with up

had to ante up five thousand dollars to attend the senator's banquet

intransitive verb

: pay up —usually used with up

The dealer waited until everyone had anted up before he dealt the cards.

See ante defined for English-language learners

Examples of ante in a Sentence

Did everyone at the table ante?
Everyone anted up a dollar.

Recent Examples of ante from the Web

The process meant tracking down property owners, anteing up cash to buy the homes and renovate and finding stable renters who, in some cases, turned into homeowners.

— aleanna siacon, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit's Virginia Park Historic District gets house-by-house makeover," 14 Apr. 2018
Lo and behold, Little Caesars had to ante up when the UMBC Retrievers beat the Virginia Cavaliers 74-54 on March 16.

— brandon patterson, Detroit Free Press, "Lines gather for free pizza at Little Caesars in Dearborn, Detroit," 2 Apr. 2018
Facebook and an additional four of the state’s biggest businesses — Google, Comcast, Verizon and AT&T — have already anted up $200,000 apiece to fight the initiative.

— matier & ross, San Francisco Chronicle, "Facebook fiasco boosts bid to put California crackdown on ballot," 1 Apr. 2018
Carried over from the current RAV4, the Adventure ups the truck ante further with larger tires and a different front bumper and grille design seemingly yanked right off the Tacoma pickup.

— alexander stoklosa, Car and Driver, "2019 Toyota RAV4 / RAV4 Hybrid: Sales Champ Gets a Compelling Overhaul," 29 Mar. 2018
But Jacksonville was surprisingly willing to ante up.

— mike jones, USA TODAY, "Quarterbacks, wide receivers and a guard are NFL free agency's early winners," 13 Mar. 2018
The largest of the grants is $150,000 from the Maryland Community Legacy Program, which has anted up significant other funding for the Armory Marketplace project.

— allan vought, The Aegis, "Bel Air approves contract for final phase of Armory Markeplace project," 26 Feb. 2018
That said, Aranda would have his pick of jobs if LSU hadn’t anted up.

— joan niesen, SI.com, "Previewing the Biggest Storylines of the 2018 College Football Offseason," 11 Jan. 2018
And what team will ante up for Kirk Cousins, a QB leaving the Washington Redskins after three consecutive seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes?

— mark inabinett, AL.com, "'It's not about the money for me,' AJ McCarron says, but how much might he get in free agency?," 15 Feb. 2018

Origin and Etymology of ante

verbal derivative of ¹ante

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1831

See Words from the same year

Other Game Terms

bezique, carom, convention, crap, euchre, gambit, monte, parlay, tierce

ante-

prefix

Definition of ante-

1 a : prior : earlier

antedate

b : anterior : forward

anteroom

2 : prior to : earlier than

antediluvian

See ante- defined for English-language learners

See ante- defined for kids

Origin and Etymology of ante-

Middle English, from Latin, from ante before, in front of; akin to Old English and- against, Greek anti before, against — more at end

ANTE Defined for English Language Learners

ante

noun

Definition of ante for English Language Learners

: the amount of money that a player must bet at the beginning of play in a poker game

ante

verb

Definition of ante for English Language Learners

: to pay the amount of money required to start play in a poker game

ante-

prefix

Definition of ante- for English Language Learners

: before or earlier
: in front of

ANTE Defined for Kids

ante-

prefix \ ˈan-ti \

Definition of ante- for Students

1 : before in time : earlier

2 : in front of

anteroom

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ante

Definition of ante

Examples of ante in a Sentence

Recent Examples of ante from the Web

Origin and Etymology of ante

ante Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Game Terms

ante

Definition of ante

Examples of ante in a Sentence

Recent Examples of ante from the Web

Origin and Etymology of ante

Other Game Terms

ante-

Definition of ante-

Origin and Etymology of ante-

Phrases Related to ANTE

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ANTE Defined for English Language Learners

ante

Definition of ante for English Language Learners

ante

Definition of ante for English Language Learners

ante-

Definition of ante- for English Language Learners

ANTE Defined for Kids

ante-

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