What does anted mean?
Anted is the past tense of the verb 'ante', which refers to putting up a stake or contribution in advance. Its dominant use is at the card table: in poker and similar games, each player must place a compulsory bet — the ante — before the cards are dealt, and having done so they are said to have anted. The word belongs firmly to gambling vocabulary and carries an informal, colloquial tone; in everyday speech players are more likely to say 'anted up' or 'the antes are in' than to use the bare past-tense form. Beyond the casino, 'ante' has broader senses — contributing one's fair share toward a joint expense — but 'anted' as a distinct verb form remains tied to staking money or chips ahead of play. It derives ultimately from the Latin preposition 'ante', meaning 'before' or 'in front of', which also gave English words such as 'antedate' and 'antecedent'. Though narrow in application, it is a useful word for anyone describing the mechanics of a betting game accurately.
verbAnted is the past tense of the verb 'ante', meaning to have put up or contributed a stake or share in advance — most commonly the mandatory bet placed before cards are dealt in poker and other gambling games.
- To have put up or paid a stake or contribution in advance, especially the compulsory bet made before cards are dealt in poker.
"She anted up her chips before the dealer flipped the first card."
"He anted his five dollars into the pot before the deal."
"Each player had anted by the time the betting round began."
Every hand of poker begins with someone 'anting up' — and 'anted' is simply the record that you did.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of anted
The verb 'ante' entered English from the Latin preposition 'ante', meaning 'before' or 'in front of', which survives in derivatives such as 'antedate' and 'antecedent'. Its gambling sense — putting up a stake before play begins — developed in Anglo-American card-playing culture, where 'ante up' became a fixed phrase. 'Anted' is simply the standard past tense of this verb, recording that the stake has been paid.
Related word forms
How anted is actually used
Strictly a verb form used almost exclusively in gambling contexts; informal register. In modern usage speakers more often say 'anted up' or simply 'paid the ante'.
Easily confused with anted
'Anted' is the past tense of the verb 'ante' (putting up a stake), while 'antedate' means to assign an earlier date to something than its true date.