ask
to put a question to; inquire of: I asked him but he didn't answer.
to request information about: to ask the way.
to try to get by using words; request: to ask advice; to ask a favor.
to solicit from; request of: Could I ask you a favor? Ask her for advice.
to demand; expect: What price are they asking? A little silence is all I ask.
to set a price of: to ask $20 for the hat.
to call for; need; require: This experiment asks patience.
to invite: to ask guests to dinner.
Archaic. to publish (banns).
to make inquiry; inquire: to ask about a person.
to request or petition (usually followed by for): to ask for leniency; to ask for food.
a question or inquiry.
a request, especially a demanding one: Is it too big an ask for you to give me a loan?
Idioms about ask
ask for it, to risk or invite trouble, danger, punishment, etc., by persisting in some action or manner: He was asking for it by his abusive remarks.
Origin of ask
1synonym study For ask
Other words for ask
Opposites for ask
Other words from ask
- asker, noun
- un·ask·ing, adjective
- un·ask·ing·ly, adverb
How to use ask in a sentence
Why, some might be asking, am I being so harsh on their work so soon after they died?
I remember all our music appeared on Spotify overnight, without anybody asking us.
Many hold classes in their living rooms, asking students to help re-arrange and then later put back furniture.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread | IranWire | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTAs Randy notes, “Maybe there is a value in shining a light on this and asking the questions.”
Your Husband Is Definitely Gay: TLC’s Painful Portrait of Mormonism | Samantha Allen | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTSo now the company is asking the FCC to, in effect, reverse itself.
How ‘Ethical’ Hotel Chain Marriott Gouges Guests in the Name of Wi-Fi Security | Kyle Chayka | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I didn't much like his offhand way of asking; not that it wasn't a perfectly legitimate query.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair"From what I have heard, I think I may be free to discuss this," and she paused again, with her eyes asking that she may.
The Homesteader | Oscar MicheauxSuch a betrayal led him upon the following day to send a note to Mrs. Chepstow, asking for an appointment.
Bella Donna | Robert HichensAnchored at Imbros when I got a cable asking me what forces I shall need to carry right through to a finish.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonA beggar asking alms under the character of a poor scholar, a gentleman put the question, Quomodo vales?
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | Various
British Dictionary definitions for ask (1 of 2)
/ (ɑːsk) /
(often foll by about) to put a question (to); request an answer (from): she asked ( him ) about God
(tr) to inquire about: she asked him the time of the train; she asked the way
(tr) to direct or put (a question)
(may take a clause as object or an infinitive often foll by for) to make a request or demand: she asked ( him ) for information; they asked for a deposit
(tr) to demand or expect (esp in the phrases ask a lot of, ask too much of)
Also: ask out, ask over (tr) to request (a person) politely to come or go to a place; invite: he asked her to the party
(tr) to need; require: the job asks both time and patience
(tr) archaic to proclaim (marriage banns)
a big ask or a tough ask British, Australian and NZ informal a task which is difficult to fulfil
Origin of ask
1Derived forms of ask
- asker, noun
British Dictionary definitions for Ask (2 of 2)
/ (ɑːsk) /
Norse myth the first man, created by the gods from an ash tree
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with ask
In addition to the idioms beginning with ask
- ask a stupid question and you'll get a stupid answer
- ask for
- ask for the moon
- ask out
, see
- don't ask
- for the asking
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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