noun
- Poker. a fixed but arbitrary stake put into the pot by each player before the deal.
- an amount of money paid in advance to insure an individual’s share in a joint business venture.
- Informal. an individual’s share of the total expenses incurred by a group.
- Informal. the price or cost of something.
verb (used with object), an·ted or an·teed, an·te·ing.
- Poker. to put (one’s initial stake) into the pot.
- to produce or pay (one’s share) (usually followed by up): He anted up his half of the bill.
verb (used without object), an·ted or an·teed, an·te·ing.
- Poker. to put one’s initial stake into the pot.
- Informal. to pay (usually followed by up).
- a prefix meaning “before,” used in the formation of compound words: anteroom; antebellum; antedate.
Latin.
- see before (used especially to refer a reader to parts of a text).
noun
- the gaming stake put up before the deal in poker by the players
- informal a sum of money representing a person’s share, as in a syndicate
- up the ante informal to increase the costs, risks, or considerations involved in taking an action or reaching a conclusionwhenever they reached their goal, they upped the ante by setting more complex challenges for themselves
verb -tes, -teing, -ted or -teed
- to place (one’s stake) in poker
- (usually foll by up) informal, mainly US to pay
prefix
- before in time or position; previous to; in front ofantedate; antechamber
1838 (n.), 1846 (v.), American English poker slang, apparently from Latin ante “before,” from PIE *anti “facing opposite, near, in front of, before” (cf. Sanskrit antah “end, border, boundary,” Hittite hanti “opposite,” Greek anta, anten “opposite,” anti “over against, opposite, before;” Old Lithuanian anta “on to;” Gothic anda “along;” Old English and- “against;” German ent- “along, against”), from root *ant- “front, forehead.”
word-forming element meaning “before, in front of; previous, existing beforehand; introductory to,” from Latin ante (prep. and adv.) “before, in front of, opposite,” used in combinations, from PIE *anti “facing opposite, near, in front of, before” (see ante).
pref.
- Prior to; earlier:antenatal.
- In front of; before:antebrachium.