monte
gb/mˈɑnti/ us/mˈɑnti/
C1
English
~ 8600
háromlapos csalójáték, háromkártyás csalójáték, bozótos, cserjés
NOUN
C1
INFORMAL
1
Usage pattern:
to play monte with [someone]
Tourists were warned not to stop for monte games on the sidewalk.
Figyelmeztették a turistákat, hogy ne álljanak meg az utcán háromlapos csalójátékot nézni vagy játszani.
He lost fifty dollars in a rigged monte on the subway platform.
Ötven dollárt veszített egy megbuherált háromlapos csalójátékon a metróperonon.
The police broke up a monte ring operating near the stadium.
Street hustlers set up a quick monte and quickly drew a crowd.
In the film, the thief distracts his victim with a game of monte before stealing his wallet.
Learner examples
Do not play monte with strangers on the street.
Ne játssz háromlapos csalójátékot idegenekkel az utcán.
The man on the corner was running a monte game.
A sarkon álló férfi egy háromlapos csalójátékot futtatott.
She watched a monte game and saw that no one could win.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think "monte" is a general word for any card game. In modern English it almost always refers to a specific cheating game or scam, especially the type called "three-card monte." It is not used for normal, honest card games like poker or bridge.
Meaning
Gambling card con game
Collocations
play monte
|a game of monte
|street monte
|rigged monte
|three-card monte
Synonyms
three-card monte (The most common modern form and name of the same basic street card scam.)
Themes
games
|crime
|daily_life
|finance
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A fast card game on the street, often with three cards, used to trick people and take their money.
A fast street card game, usually run by hustlers with three cards, used to cheat people out of money.
NOUN
C2
LITERARY
2
Usage pattern:
to ride into the monte
The cattle disappeared into the thick monte by late afternoon.
A marhák késő délutánra eltűntek a sűrű bozótosban.
They rode all day through the monte, following a faint cattle trail.
Egész nap a bozóton lovagoltak át, egy halvány marhacsapást követve.
Low hills and sparse monte stretched to the horizon on both sides of the river.
Learner examples
The cows walked into the monte and were hard to see.
A tehenek besétáltak a bozótosba, és nehéz volt meglátni őket.
They rode their horses through the dry monte.
A száraz bozótoson lovagoltak keresztül.
Trees and bushes in the monte gave them some shade.
Common mistake:
Learners may assume this word simply means "mountain" because of Spanish or Italian influence. In English usage, this sense refers to wild, brushy land, not necessarily to a mountain or high place.
Meaning
Wild scrub or brush land
Collocations
the monte
|thick monte
|open monte
|ride into the monte
Synonyms
scrubland (A more general English word for dry land with low bushes and few trees; not region‑specific.)
Antonyms
cultivated field (Refers to land that is farmed and managed, unlike wild monte.)
Themes
nature
|geography
|travel
|core_vocabulary
Definition
In some regions, land that is not farmed, covered with wild bushes, small trees, and grass.
In some US and Latin American writing, an area of uncultivated land covered in brush, shrubs, or low trees, often used as rangeland.
Grammar
Dictionary form
monte
IPA
GB/mˈɑnti/
US/mˈɑnti/
Syllables & stress
monte (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (monte)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: monte
- Plural: montes
Word family
Forms
montes
noun
Expressions
three-card monte
1/θɹˈi kˈɑɹd mˈɑnti/
fixed phrase
informal
Street scam with three cards
A cheating street card game with three cards, where you try to follow one card but cannot win because the dealer tricks you.
Examples
- On the busy corner, a small crowd gathered around a man running three-card monte.
- The documentary showed how three-card monte dealers distract players while moving the winning card.
- He warned his friends that three-card monte is always a scam, no matter how easy it looks.