ask
verb (used with object)
to put a question to; inquire of.
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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:
MarketWatch: Is there anything I didn’t ask that you’d like to discuss?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Employers should ask how AI can help individuals take on higher-value work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
"I ask you to welcome with open arms the person I chose to replace me -- blood of my blood, my son Flavio," said the deepfake.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
But when I ask her if she would ever invite the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, on to her wildly popular YouTube series, she doesn't skip a beat.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
I ask, mostly joking, since I know the answer already.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Ask open-ended questions to learn about their experiences that led them to have these concerns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Its audiobook company, Audible, launched a feature called "Ask a Question" last fall.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
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 experienced climbers about the most dangerous part of a mountain, and many will tell you something that sounds backward.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
“Feed him. Then call the animal shelter. Ask for Barbara Wolin.”
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
After Valkyrae asks whether his answer was a spoiler, Lacy seemingly tones down his enthusiasm for the character.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Jouppi is the case that asks them to stop musing.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
"My Dad calls all the time and asks 'my son, are you good? Tell me that you are good.'"
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Sullivan asks Graham in March about how much longer the war in Iran is going to last, and Graham provides a response that proved to be wildly off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
“So what happened when Aunt J took you home?” she asks.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
See: Coco Gauff was asked if she’ll use her $3 million US Open winnings to pay off debt.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
But when asked by BBC News if she has any tips for working together with your husband, Zendaya replied: “I think when you’re best friends, it’s pretty easy.”
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Tunick's requests to have a lawyer present were repeatedly denied and when asked to unlock his Google Pixel phone, he allegedly supplied a passcode that triggered software that wiped the device.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
When asked about Darializa Avila Chevalier, who defeated the incumbent in a New York congressional primary, he was blunt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 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
Davies recalled turning to a nurse for guidance, asking: "I know how bad it is, shouldn't he know how bad it is?"
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
I’m not saying to try to diagnose her from afar; in fact, a manager asking an employee about their health can be illegal in certain situations.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
You can do this by asking her direct questions about specific forms that she should see before her husband dies.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
The five Fed task forces—on communications, its inflation framework, and its asset holdings, among others—are meant to reopen questions Warsh believes central bankers and the economics profession had stopped asking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
By the time the chuckles died down everyone had forgotten that they were asking about me at all.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
