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

See Examples For:

ask for

He did not, it appears, request permission or ask for advice.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

If you enjoy heat, ask for extra basbaas, a green chile and cilantro sauce that brightens the whole plate.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

“We really had to claw and scratch and ask for favors to get retail these allocations,” he said in April.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

And don’t ask for a few because that’s three.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

Sergei called his father’s office at the Kremlin to ask for an update.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

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