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

That’s the only option you have, to ask for that.

From Slate • May 19, 2026

She said having to ask for money allowed Wignall "to maintain that control" and "kept me isolated".

From BBC • May 19, 2026

“But when we ask for a backhoe to help in our searches, there is never one available,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026

A softer spin on that is that people, unlike machines, often default to trying to help other people who ask for assistance.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

My cage had all the comforts a hamster could ask for.

From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney

Related Words

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