ask
verb (used with object)
to put a question to; inquire of.
ask
1 American
[ask, ahsk]
/ æsk, ɑsk /
verb (used with object)
asks,
present (3rd person singular)
asked,
past participle, past
asking
present participle
-
to put a question to; inquire of.
I asked him but he didn't answer.
- Synonyms:
- interrogate, question
- Antonyms:
- answer
-
to request information about.
to ask the way.
-
to try to get by using words; request.
to ask advice; to ask a favor.
-
to solicit from; request of.
Could I ask you a favor? Ask her for advice.
-
to demand; expect.
What price are they asking? A little silence is all I ask.
-
to set a price of.
to ask $20 for the hat.
-
to call for; need; require.
This experiment asks patience.
-
to invite.
to ask guests to dinner.
-
Archaic. to publish (banns).
verb (used without object)
asks,
present (3rd person singular)
asked,
past participle, past
asking
present participle
noun
-
a question or inquiry.
-
a request, especially a demanding one.
Is it too big an ask for you to give me a loan?
idioms
Ask
2
American
[ahsk]
/ ɑsk /
noun
Scandinavian Mythology.
ask
1
British
/ ɑːsk /
verb
-
(often foll by about) to put a question (to); request an answer (from)
she asked (him) about God
-
(tr) to inquire about
she asked him the time of the train
she asked the way
-
(tr) to direct or put (a question)
-
to make a request or demand
she asked (him) for information
they asked for a deposit
-
(tr) to demand or expect (esp in the phrases ask a lot of, ask too much of )
-
Also: ask out. ask over. (tr) to request (a person) politely to come or go to a place; invite
he asked her to the party
-
(tr) to need; require
the job asks both time and patience
-
archaic (tr) to proclaim (marriage banns)
noun
Ask
2
British
/ ɑːsk /
noun
ask
More Idioms
Usage
What is a basic definition of ask? Ask is a verb that means to present a question to someone, to request something, or to invite someone. Ask has several other senses as a verb and a noun. If you are asking someone something, you usually want answers from them. When asking about something, you might pose several questions or politely request information about something.
- Real-life examples: Students ask teachers questions about things that confuse them. If you forget your watch, you might ask someone what time it is. You might need to ask a store employee where the bathroom is.
- Used in a sentence: We asked the teacher which chapters would be on the test.
- Real-life examples: Children ask Santa Claus for presents at Christmas. Your mom asks you to clean your room. When you love someone, you might ask them to marry you.
- Used in a sentence: I asked Bill if I could borrow his shovel.
- Real-life examples: You can ask your friends over for a party. Your grandparents might ask you to come and visit.
- Used in a sentence: Jin asked Maria out for a date on Saturday.
Synonym Usage
See inquire.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
asksimple
-
askssimple
-
have askedperfect
-
has askedperfect
-
am askingprogressive
-
are askingprogressive
-
is askingprogressive
-
have been askingperfect progressive
-
has been askingperfect progressive
Past
-
askedsimple
-
had askedperfect
-
was askingprogressive
-
were askingprogressive
-
had been askingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ask1
First recorded before 900; Middle English asken, axen, Old English āscian, āxian; cognate with Old Frisian āskia, Old Saxon ēscon, Old High German eiscōn ( German heischen ), Sanskrit icchati “(he) seeks”
Origin of Ask2
< Old Norse Askr; see ash 2
Explanation
To ask is to pose a question or request something. If you say "What time is lunch?", then you're asking a question. You've probably heard people say "Can I ask you a question?" That pretty much sums up what asking is: trying to get information or make a request. A teacher asks students to answer questions, but a student has to ask the teacher for permission to use the bathroom. In business, the asking price is the amount the seller wants you to pay. Asking is how you find things out and get what you need.
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.
See Examples For:
It is part of a growing chorus of online media companies expressing frustration with the tech giant as AI changes the way people ask questions, siphons off search traffic and upends publishers’ revenue models.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
That is a huge ask for anyone, even people who have been dong this 20 or 30 years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
One day, I leaned forward to ask Witkoff what brought him to the courtroom that day.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
Wilson later called MacInnes to ask her about the bath incident again as she was concerned about it.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
I ask, but as I ask, it dawns on me, what I didn’t know, and my legs go all quivery, like my bones are made of rubber.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Ask yourself what things seem to be in jeopardy in our Constitution and find a way to make a change for those.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
Ask fans what comes to mind when they hear the name David Beckham and the answers come quickly.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Ask Sue Klebold, mother of one of the Columbine killers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Ask Kamala Harris how this sort of thing goes.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
“Make an emperor into a prince? Ask an emperor to travel to receive gifts? I assure you, this will not sit well with Chief Powhatan,” he says.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
“But this moment asks for more than steady management. It asks for vision.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
In one video, Braxton asks what might be the most important question about their move: “Are we bringing the dog?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
"Seventh heaven?" asks the Metro, in a nod to Burnham being the seventh British prime minister in a decade.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Another question featured on the Say platform, represented by 5.2 million shares and 492 votes, asks Tesla to detail the “main constraints” to expanding robotaxi operations.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
“Are you okay if we talk in the garden out back?” he asks.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
When I reached Watkins via Zoom to talk about the book, I asked her how she does it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
“When you’re going after a mile world record, and you go deep into your brain, that’s when you’re asked the hardest-hitting questions of: Are you capable? Have you done enough?” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
He later recalled being told there were barricades more than a metre high ahead and being asked what to do.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
In the last month, I’ve been asked: How do I even get started?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
IT was time for Sancho to go to the island, and the Duke asked him to get ready.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
When asking for a figure near the top of the range, make your case by using specific accomplishments from throughout your career to show why you deserve it.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
But anytime you make a documentary, you’re asking people to be especially vulnerable on camera, and they are often telling you about the worst moments of their life but from a somewhat safe distance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Per the act, the FDA was ordered by Congress to establish traceability standards for high-risk foods, but the food industry pushed back, asking for additional time to comply with recordkeeping and coordination demands, citing complexity.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
"At the end, if you have a fully fit, healthy Conor Bradley, we are very happy, ready to go and we would not be asking ourselves these questions," explained the Spaniard.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
But I couldn’t imagine texting Traveler and asking him if his Rachel was Rachel Allan.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
