ante

play

noun an·te \ ˈan-tē \

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

But earlier this year, her son Reece upped the ante after spotting a Jewel-Osco ad detailing the chance to buy a cake and be entered into a sweepstakes to win a Camaro that had been a part of the Volo Auto Museum's collection.

— ronnie wachter, chicagotribune.com, "Shout Out: Barbara Weber, Buffalo Grove resident and winner of Chevy Camaro," 30 Aug. 2017
The latest models called the Tile Pro, have really upped the ante.

— jim rossman, The Seattle Times, "Tend to misplace your keys? Tile Pro can help you track them down," 25 Aug. 2017
More often than not, money is the ante into the October poker tournament.

— paul daugherty, The Courier-Journal, "Doc: Manfred doesn’t see any problems, but he isn’t a fan watching Reds," 9 Aug. 2017
Then Duvall upped the ante by throwing the runner out at first.

— zach buchanan, Cincinnati.com, "Reds recap: For Sal Romano, it was bad, but it could have been worse," 8 Aug. 2017
This missile test ups the ante for nations at odd with North Korea, including the United States.

— jeanette steele, sandiegouniontribune.com, "N. Korea's latest missile test shows it could reach SoCal easily," 28 July 2017
One leading brand, Smith, ups the ante to provide the cutting-edge protection.

— tim newcomb, Popular Mechanics, "A lot goes into safeguarding your melon.," 14 July 2017
Conservatives are being honest about one thing: a full repeal of Obamacare would send the health care system back to the pre-ACA status quo ante.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Cruz Amendment to Senate Health-Care Bill Now Dividing GOP," 6 July 2017
Since the Pixel and Pixel XL landed, the LG G6 and Galaxy S8 have upped the ante for premium phones with their slim bezels and 16:9 screens.

— michael simon, PCWorld, "Pixel 2: Everything we know about Google’s next flagship phone," 5 July 2017

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

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

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

But from the looks of some new photos, Scarlett Johansson is upping the ink ante with a rather large new tattoo.

— macaela mackenzie, Allure, "Scarlett Johansson Debuts New Back Tattoo on Avengers Set," 23 Aug. 2017
The university even antes up for run-of-the-mill papers: Publishing in certain journals with an impact factor below one fetches an $820 prize for the authors.

— alison mccook, Science | AAAS, "Cash bonuses for peer-reviewed papers go global," 10 Aug. 2017
All applicants had been required to ante up a $5,000 fee just to apply.

— sam wood, Philly.com, "Where medical cannabis shops will be in Southeast PA," 29 June 2017
Si llegaste a esta p�gina a trav�s de un Favorito que antes s� funcionaba, probablemente el archivo se haya movido a una nueva ubicaci� n con el reciente redise�o del sitio.

— john roach, NOLA.com, "Watch highlights from LSU's College World Series victory over FSU," 21 June 2017
Producers also are being asked to ante up more on health care, an issue that echoes well beyond Hollywood.

— Washington Post, "AP Explains: What will a Hollywood writers’ strike mean?," 25 Apr. 2017
In the 30 years since, props have transformed the Super Bowl betting scene, and as sportsbooks continue to ante up, the way millions watch the Super Bowl, from coin toss to final Gatorade shower, is changing.

— ryan kartje, Orange County Register, "Rise of Super Bowl ‘props’ enough to make a bettor’s head spin," 3 Feb. 2017
In the 30 years since, props have transformed the Super Bowl betting scene, and as sportsbooks continue to ante up, the way millions watch the Super Bowl, from coin toss to final Gatorade shower, is changing.

— ryan kartje, The Mercury News, "Possibilities are endless when it comes to Super Bowl betting," 3 Feb. 2017
On Tuesday, the Yankees anted up, scoring five times over the first three innings.

— seth berkman, New York Times, "Yankees Outlast the Royals Despite Cain’s Three Homers," 10 May 2016

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

play

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

Learn More about ante

See words that rhyme with ante Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ante Spanish Central: Translation of ante Nglish: Translation of ante for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ante for Arabic speakers

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ante

Definition of ante

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Origin and Etymology of ante

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ante-

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ante

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