ante

noun

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an·te | \ ˈan-tē

Definition of ante

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : a poker stake usually put up before the deal to build the pot The dealer called for a dollar ante.

2a : 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

ante

verb

anted; anteing

Definition of ante (Entry 2 of 3)

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.

ante-

prefix

Definition of ante- (Entry 3 of 3)

1a : prior : earlier antedate

b : anterior : forward anteroom

2 : prior to : earlier than antediluvian

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about ante

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Examples of ante in a Sentence

Noun the base price is $500, but any additional repairs will up the ante Verb Did everyone at the table ante? Everyone anted up a dollar.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Having a husband and a new baby has upped the ante for you. — Detroit Free Press, "Insurrectionists should be reported," 4 Feb. 2021 Having a husband and a new baby has upped the ante for you. — Detroit Free Press, "Insurrectionists should be reported," 4 Feb. 2021 Having a husband and a new baby has upped the ante for you. — Amy Dickinson, Star Tribune, "Ask Amy: Insurrectionists should be reported," 3 Feb. 2021 In the year of Zoom classrooms, Garfield Middle School STEM teacher Jaime Chanter recently upped the ante by connecting students with a South Korean company for a fun lesson in making clay robots. — John Benson, cleveland, "Lakewood STEM students make clay robots over Zoom with South Korean company," 31 Dec. 2020 Teasley has upped the ante with the green room at Saturn, a full-scale apartment that’s meant to be a snug and stimulating haven for travelers. — Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al, "Apartment at Saturn, now an Airbnb, touted as ‘self-contained fun factory’," 10 Dec. 2020 Up the ante on your daily routine with an equal parts aesthetically pleasing and effective Gua Sha tool. — Akili King, Vogue, "The 19 Best Cyber Monday Beauty Tool Deals for 2020: Gua Sha, Makeup Brushes, and More," 30 Nov. 2020 Add oysters to a dish and you automatically up the ante. — Annette Sisco, NOLA.com, "Guide to Thanksgiving recipes in New Orleans: Dressings, sides, gumbo, pies and more," 11 Nov. 2020 Garmin’s line of sporty smartwatches are mostly round, which is a good start, and the company ups the ante in looks and premium materials with its high-end MARQ collection. — Aaron Pressman, Fortune, "The best smartwatches of 2020," 28 Oct. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb And the school has no shortage of donors who would ante up to buy out Harbaugh and chart a new course. — J. Brady Mccollough Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "Commentary: Michigan shouldn’t give Jim Harbaugh a pandemic pardon," 28 Nov. 2020 But be prepared to ante up some serious cash, as the starting price is $112,595. — Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, "GM reveals its GMC Hummer EV pickup and prices it more than $100,000," 21 Oct. 2020 If your style is elegance, ante up the extra bucks for the 5000. — Steve Smith, Car and Driver, "Tested: 1980 Audi 4000 Needs to Cook a Little Longer," 14 Aug. 2020 Those who never wanted to ante up for a real silk pillowcase may be swayed by this incredible price point. — Christina Vercelletto, CNN Underscored, "Top-rated silk pillowcases that will instantly upgrade your bed," 6 Aug. 2020 Kelly thinks lawmakers will need to ante up billions of dollars more to keep state and local governments afloat at a time when tax revenue has ebbed. — Russ Wiles, azcentral, "The first half of 2020 was a doozy — Here's what investors should watch for in the next 6 months," 14 June 2020 Of course, Thuney would likely have to switch to the right side, and the Browns will have to ante up. — cleveland, "Case Keenum as the ideal backup to Baker Mayfield, letting Joe Schobert walk, and other Browns takes from NFL combine week," 3 Mar. 2020 But the bell in Big Ben will not ring; the government decided not to ante up the 500,000 pounds ($650,000) necessary to make the bell usable during renovations of the Houses of Parliament. — Mark Landler, New York Times, "Britain’s Brexit Shrug: Let’s Just Get On With It," 31 Jan. 2020 The Giants don’t appear to be anteing up, and if Juan Marichal can be a Dodger, couldn’t anybody? — John Shea, SFChronicle.com, "Why Madison Bumgarner to Dodgers would make sense (sorry, Giants fans)," 6 Dec. 2019

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.