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

Bores said the disclosure timeline was one of the most contentious areas of the bill, adding that one AI lab emailed three hours before it was signed to ask for changes.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the 999 call made by Mills, her husband could be heard asking for an "immediate armed response".

From BBC

She modestly hitched up the garment, asked for a clip for her hair, which had come undone, and then went to help a fellow condemned Christian who had been knocked down.

From The Wall Street Journal

They may ask for others’ input and give lip service to their ideas, but it quickly becomes clear that “it’s my way or the highway.”

From The Wall Street Journal

In a statement - published on the last day before Parliament's Christmas break - Local Government Minister Alison McGovern said "multiple" councils had already asked for a postponement.

From BBC

Related Words

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