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Synonyms

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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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.

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.

It’s not like he didn’t ask for feedback, though.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

This year, the museum decided to cut admission prices to zero, and ask for donations.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

Brody couldn’t ask for a better scene partner than Thompson, an accomplished theater actor who gives haunting texture to a character unique in both her imperfections and seductive appeal.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

Check candidates for licensing and insurance, ask for their references and read online reviews of their work.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

Treasury didn’t ask for a piece of the action, or management changes, or for that matter anything at all except for a teaspoon of out-of-the-money warrants and preferred stock.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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.