ask

[ ask, ahsk ]
/ æsk, ɑsk /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR ask ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

to make inquiry; inquire: to ask about a person.
to request or petition (usually followed by for): to ask for leniency; to ask for food.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for ask

    ask for it, to risk or invite trouble, danger, punishment, etc., by persisting in some action or manner: He was asking for it by his abusive remarks.

Origin of ask

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

OTHER WORDS FROM ask

ask·er, nounun·ask·ing, adjectiveun·ask·ing·ly, adverb

Words nearby ask

asimov, asine, asinine, asio, asir, ask, ask a stupid question and you'll get a stupid answer, ask after, ask for, ask for the moon, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to asker

vagabond, panhandler, bum, interrogator, questioner, supplicant, deadbeat, tramp, mendicant, hobo, borrower, scrounger, rustler, researcher, investigator, prober

Example sentences from the Web for asker

British Dictionary definitions for asker (1 of 2)

ask
/ (ɑːsk) /

verb

noun

a big ask or a tough ask British, Australian and NZ informal a task which is difficult to fulfil
See also ask after, ask for

Derived forms of ask

asker, noun

Word Origin for ask

Old English āscian; related to Old Frisian āskia, Old Saxon ēscon, Old High German eiscōn

British Dictionary definitions for asker (2 of 2)

Ask
/ (ɑːsk) /

noun

Norse myth the first man, created by the gods from an ash tree
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

Idioms and Phrases with asker

ask
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.