ask for

verb

1. to try to obtain by requesting

   he asked for help

2. informal.
   intr to behave in a provocative manner that is regarded as inviting (trouble)

   she's asking for trouble

   you're asking for it

3. to ask after

   tell your parents I'm asking for them

Idioms and Phrases

Also, ask for it . To persist in an action despite the likelihood that it will bring trouble on oneself, as in Speeding as much as he does, he has been asking for a ticket and Mary deserved that low grade; in effect, she asked for it by not studying . [c. 1900] Also see ask for the moon .

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

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

Local media outlet Expressen has quoted from leaked emails it has seen, in which staff working for minister Paulina Brandberg ask for any bananas to be removed before official visits.

From BBC

Emails reportedly sent in advance of official visits, including to a VIP lunch, ask for "no bananas" to be allowed on certain premises and refer to Brandberg having a "strong allergy" to the fruit.

From BBC

We listened to Clark sing, “I have never been so far out in front/That I could ever ask for what I want/And have it any time.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• assert
• call for
• claim
• confront
• defy
• demand
• denounce
• impose
• require
• test
• try