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

If there is no other obvious cause for the bleeding, such as piles, the NHS recommends that you ask for an appointment with your GP, external.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

So Santos de Torres helped Nemorio to the car and made the familiar 7-minute drive to LUPE’s headquarters in the neighboring town of San Juan to ask for help with her husband’s ballot.

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026

Enforcement will begin in January 2027, but landlords can ask for an extension.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

Blevins demanded they never ask for a reservation fee again, which the men agreed to in a handshake deal, people familiar with the interaction said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

“You can exchange letters. She’ll write you first, then you can write her back. This is good news, Hank. She’s alive. She’s safe. And she’s facing her problems. You can’t ask for more than that.”

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

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Related Words

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

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