ask
verb (used with object)
to put a question to; inquire of.
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asak.
ask
1 American
[ask, ahsk]
/ æsk, ɑsk /
verb (used with object)
-
asks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
asked,
past participle, past
-
asking
present participle
-
to put a question to; inquire of.
I asked him but he didn't answer.
- Synonyms:
- interrogate, question
- Antonyms:
- 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.
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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.
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to invite.
to ask guests to dinner.
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Archaic. to publish (banns).
verb (used without object)
-
asks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
asked,
past participle, past
-
asking
present participle
noun
-
a question or inquiry.
-
a request, especially a demanding one.
Is it too big an ask for you to give me a loan?
idioms
Ask
2
American
[ahsk]
/ ɑsk /
noun
Scandinavian Mythology.
ask
1
British
/ ɑːsk /
verb
-
(often foll by about) to put a question (to); request an answer (from)
she asked (him) about God
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(tr) to inquire about
she asked him the time of the train
she asked the way
-
(tr) to direct or put (a question)
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to make a request or demand
she asked (him) for information
they asked for a deposit
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(tr) to demand or expect (esp in the phrases ask a lot of, ask too much of )
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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
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(tr) to need; require
the job asks both time and patience
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archaic (tr) to proclaim (marriage banns)
noun
Ask
2
British
/ ɑːsk /
noun
ask
More Idioms
Usage
What is a basic definition of ask? Ask is a verb that means to present a question to someone, to request something, or to invite someone. Ask has several other senses as a verb and a noun. If you are asking someone something, you usually want answers from them. When asking about something, you might pose several questions or politely request information about something.
- Real-life examples: Students ask teachers questions about things that confuse them. If you forget your watch, you might ask someone what time it is. You might need to ask a store employee where the bathroom is.
- Used in a sentence: We asked the teacher which chapters would be on the test.
- Real-life examples: Children ask Santa Claus for presents at Christmas. Your mom asks you to clean your room. When you love someone, you might ask them to marry you.
- Used in a sentence: I asked Bill if I could borrow his shovel.
- Real-life examples: You can ask your friends over for a party. Your grandparents might ask you to come and visit.
- Used in a sentence: Jin asked Maria out for a date on Saturday.
Synonym Usage
See inquire.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
asksimple
-
askssimple
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have askedperfect
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has askedperfect
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am askingprogressive
-
are askingprogressive
-
is askingprogressive
-
have been askingperfect progressive
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has been askingperfect progressive
Past
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askedsimple
-
had askedperfect
-
was askingprogressive
-
were askingprogressive
-
had been askingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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; see ash 2
Explanation
To ask is to pose a question or request something. If you say "What time is lunch?", then you're asking a question. You've probably heard people say "Can I ask you a question?" That pretty much sums up what asking is: trying to get information or make a request. A teacher asks students to answer questions, but a student has to ask the teacher for permission to use the bathroom. In business, the asking price is the amount the seller wants you to pay. Asking is how you find things out and get what you need.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"You play 55 minutes for me and you are dead and ask for a sub, then perfect," said Iraola.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
If you lead with “quick housekeeping” and save the real ask for minute 25, you've lost the meeting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
It could also be training guards to spot suspicious people who may be casing a museum and ask them if they need help, which may deter them from returning.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Maybe, going forward, I should ask ahead of time whether she’d prefer that I Venmo her money rather than bring a dish or appetizer.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Then I ask, “Grandma, what’s the deal with you and Dad? Why all the arguing?”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Ask them, in writing, for evidence that they gave you the required notice, and why the coverage was dropped.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 12, 2026
Ask for a table by the window for sweeping views of Lincoln Memorial Drive and, yes, Lake Michigan.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
Ask him where his feet are, and you’ll get the same.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Ask your favorite chatbot about terms like metacognition and Global Workspace Theory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Ask your mother what she takes to deal with her rage issues.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
In a city where everything can feel fleeting, Kiko Kostadinov has created something that asks you to linger long enough for a memory to form — and perhaps, eventually, become part of the next collection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Taylor says their five-year-old is given small jobs to earn a couple of pounds, rather than simply being bought everything she asks for.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
So, when a patient asks, “If this could find my cancer early, why wouldn’t I do it?” the truthful answer is that, yes, it might find cancer early—and maybe you should do it.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
It asks very little of you beyond something delicious to pile in the middle and the confidence to fold the edges inward without worrying too much about symmetry.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
He mutes his cell and asks, “What happened to my Funyuns? Did we run out of my Funyuns? I swear I saw a bag here.”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Before the game against Atletico Madrid, Iraola was asked about how he sought to strike the right balance, with the intensity levels he craves and such a busy schedule.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
We asked experts for advice on everything from getting a raise and dealing with an overwhelmed manager to making work dinners more palatable and staying superior to AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
We asked readers of our Sports Report newsletter, “Will the Rams win the Super Bowl?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
The president asked for a five-year exhibition continuing through February 22, 2032 -- the 300th anniversary of Washington's birth -- to honor his "Life and Legacy."
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
She wanted to do the thing he’d asked her not to do and run off.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Instead of asking whether he belongs at Barcelona, people are now discussing just how important he could become.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
The spokesperson did not respond to a question asking why it had removed the post.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
“I’m not asking drivers to stop caring about how their cars smell,” she said in an email.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
It apparently failed, because they went back to the AI afterward asking it to help figure out what went wrong.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
He picked up one of the mittens, then glanced at me as though asking permission.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
