ask for

British  

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

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ask for Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

"I had to go to the doctors to ask for sleeping pills and also anxiety pills," she said.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

“I never asked for your crutch,” Dylan sings, “Now don’t ask for mine.”

From Salon • Apr. 17, 2026

But numerous states pursued the case, and they could still ask for the company to divest Ticketmaster.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

“Now’s the time to find deals. Use the war for leverage,” Hoult said, urging buyers to ask for concessions from sellers tired of waiting for more buyers to emerge.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

“I thought he was going to ask for her hand in marriage,” Macon continued, finally.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

Related Words

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