ante

/ˈænti/ (bre, ipa) · [ˈænti] /ˈænti/ (ame, ipa) · [ˈænti] /ˈan-tē How to pronounce ante (audio)/ (ame, mw)

ante — noun

  • antesingular
  • antesplural

1. money that every player puts into the pot before the cards are dealt

1.名詞C1
釋義

money that every player puts into the pot before the cards are dealt

例句

Before the first card was dealt, Kabir pushed a five-dollar ante forward.

ante before the deal in card games

At this table, each player pays a small ante at the start.

pay a small ante at the start

同義詞
  • stake

    a broader word for money risked in gambling or another uncertain situation

  • buy-in

    the money needed to join a game, often a larger amount than a single ante

文法句型

pay an ante

a small ante

ante + before the deal

用法筆記

Used mainly in poker and similar card games. Unlike a bet, an ante is paid before players see their cards.

常見錯誤

The ante was twenty dollars because Mia liked her cards.
The bet was twenty dollars because Mia liked her cards.
💡An ante is paid before the hand starts, while a bet depends on how you choose to play.

2. the amount of risk, pressure, or effort involved in a situation, especially when

2.名詞C1
釋義

the amount of risk, pressure, or effort involved in a situation, especially when it is increased

例句

By hiring two lawyers, the company raised the ante in the dispute.

raise the ante = make the situation riskier

Free next-day delivery has upped the ante for every online shop.

up the ante in business competition

同義詞
  • stakes

    the closest match when the focus is what may be won or lost

  • pressure

    focuses on the force people feel, not on the rising cost itself

  • demands

    stresses what one side is asking for in a negotiation

文法句型

raise the ante

up the ante

ante + for + noun

用法筆記

Usually appears in the phrases raise the ante or up the ante. It refers to making a situation costlier or riskier, not to literal gambling money.

ante — verb