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 )
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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
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(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:
"All we ask is to be given the opportunity we have already earned, and not to let our dreams disappear while we wait."
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Just ask Temitayo Ogunduyilemi, a Baltimore-based industrial engineer working with bio-medical supply chains.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Investors of the German chemicals company are starting to ask what is next after the 2026 peak.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
I would have $20 and ask myself, “What can I do with this?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
"Well, your Honor, I did ask him to make a cape, and in the end, I asked for five," said the farmer.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Ask anyone who has traveled to Japan recently and they will rave about the bargains to be had.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
What they could’ve done instead: Ask around for good contractors who people are happy with, rather than seeking a cheap one online.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
Ask open-ended questions to learn about their experiences that led them to have these concerns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Amazon's Kindle has its own version: "Ask this Book," described as an "expert reading assistant" that answers questions about plot and characters "without disrupting your reading flow."
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
A woman's voice at his shoulder said, "Ask her for what she carries, Tristran Thorn."
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
Instead of relying on a traditional penalty-box striker, De Zerbi often asks his centre forward to vacate central spaces, combine with midfielders and create room for wide players to attack.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
But besides being basically useless, each show asks the same questions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
It inherently asks us to consume these people and needs us to in order to make money, but sometimes consumers want to unhinge their jaws and eat these stars whole, a frightening and unsettling behavior.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
The Council’s Rules Committee passed a motion Tuesday that asks the Department of Transportation to come up with ways to regulate e-bikes, including who can ride them and how.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
“Everything okay with you and your grandma?” he asks.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in May asked Mr. Ueda to step up the BOJ’s purchases of government bonds to tamp down longer-term yields, according to Japanese media reports after last week’s currency intervention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
She also asked for 120,000 yuan for a wedding dress and jewellery, he claims.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
They have been asked to provide an equivalency assessment of their grades -- one they cannot possibly meet because, he said, "there are no functioning ministries or institutions" in Gaza.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
So I asked my parents to investigate possible real-estate investments in Singapore while I also kept our options open in the U.S., where me and my family are still renting.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
“Any advice for reading my poetry in front of a big crowd?” she asked.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
A pre-med graduate, who also asked not to be named, told AFP she was accepted to an Italian master's program in June 2025 without asking for a scholarship.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Jung Da-kyung, a law student, recalls a female friend asking her brother-in-law, an SK Hynix employee, to be introduced to someone at the chip maker.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
During primary season, you should be asking the people running the Democratic primary, “What are your thoughts on all of this?”
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
“We needed to go at least $50,000 over asking to even have a chance,” Cameron Zirpolo said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
For a moment, I considered asking if he wanted to ride with us, but— “Is your sister going too? Or...anyone else?”
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.
