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

Anna May ordered her sardine sandwich and I asked for egg salad.

From Literature

I get giddy couples asking for champagne delivery, and apologetic businessmen telephoning home to announce their delayed arrivals, and tired mothers searching for all-night chemists to provide cough syrup for sick children.

From Literature

We asked for its response to reports that the car had been stationary and fired on without warning, and were told to direct our enquiry to the police.

From BBC

Bush asked for authorization to go to war as soon as Congress convened, which began an extended and torturous debate.

From Salon

"I was just trying to ask for help to get better: what do they see that isn't going right?" said Livingstone.

From BBC

Related Words

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