ask

¹

[ ask, ahsk ]

verb (used with object)

1. to put a question to; inquire of:

   I asked him but he didn't answer.

   Synonyms: interrogate, question

   Antonyms: answer

2. to request information about:

   to ask the way.

3. to try to get by using words; request:

   to ask advice; to ask a favor.

   Synonyms: appeal, sue

4. to solicit from; request of:

   Could I ask you a favor? Ask her for advice.

   Synonyms: entreat, beg, beseech

5. to demand; expect:

   What price are they asking? A little silence is all I ask.

6. to set a price of:

   to ask $20 for the hat.

7. to call for; need; require:

   This experiment asks patience.

8. to invite:

   to ask guests to dinner.

9. Archaic. to publish (banns).

verb (used without object)

1. to make inquiry; inquire:

   to ask about a person.

   Antonyms: answer

2. to request or petition (usually followed by for ):

   to ask for leniency; to ask for food.

   Synonyms: appeal, sue

noun

1. a question or inquiry.
2. a request, especially a demanding one:

   Is it too big an ask for you to give me a loan?

Ask

²

[ ahsk ]

noun

, Scandinavian Mythology.

1. the first man, made by the gods from an ash tree.

Ask

¹

/ ɑːsk /

noun

1. Norse myth the first man, created by the gods from an ash tree

ask

²

/ ɑːsk /

verb

1. often foll by about to put a question (to); request an answer (from)

   she asked (him) about God

2. tr to inquire about

   she asked him the time of the train

   she asked the way

3. tr to direct or put (a question)
4. may take a clause as object or an infinitiveoften foll byfor to make a request or demand

   they asked for a deposit

   she asked (him) for information

5. tr to demand or expect (esp in the phrases ask a lot of, ask too much of )
6. Alsoask outask over tr to request (a person) politely to come or go to a place; invite

   he asked her to the party

7. tr to need; require

   the job asks both time and patience

8. archaic.
   tr to proclaim (marriage banns)

noun

1. a big ask or a tough ask informal.
   a task which is difficult to fulfil

Derived Forms

• ˈasker, noun

Other Words From

• asker noun
• un·asking adjective
• un·asking·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of ask¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English asken, axen, Old English āscian, āxian; cognate with Old Frisian āskia, Old Saxon ēscon, Old High German eiscōn ( German heischen ), Sanskrit icchati “(he) seeks”

Origin of ask²

< Old Norse Askr; ash ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of ask¹

Old English āscian; related to Old Frisian āskia, Old Saxon ēscon, Old High German eiscōn

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. 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.

More idioms and phrases containing ask

• don't ask
• for the asking

Synonym Study

See inquire.

Example Sentences

The Legislature, the majority reasoned, had the power to make any policy decision it liked and had simply chosen, in its generosity, to allow women to ask for help if they would die otherwise.

From Slate

If it’s too much to ask of Arnold that her bid for heightened naturalism make a ton of sense, “Bird” at least maintains a heartbeat of ache and affection for youth in all its rudeness, revealing a filmmaker who isn’t afraid of losing her claws if she traffics in the thing with feathers.

From Los Angeles Times

Guillen, who is expected to be sworn in next month, said she did not ask Rios to endorse her during Mass.

From Los Angeles Times

She said a counsellor was available, but said some found it difficult to ask for help and requests for appointments were not anonymous.

From BBC

There’s the question of why exactly Trump’s advisers think he should ask Congress for up to $50 million in taxpayer revenues to fund this thing.

From Slate

Related Words

• appeal
• beg
• call for
• charge
• claim
• demand
• order
• petition
• plead
• request
• seek
• sue
• urge