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• ask
  ask

  verb (used with object)

  to put a question to; inquire of.
• Ask
  Ask

  noun

  the first man, made by the gods from an ash tree.

ask

¹ American  

[ask, ahsk] / æsk, ɑsk /

verb (used with object)

1. to put a question to; inquire of.

   I asked him but he didn't answer.

   Synonyms:

   interrogate, question

   Antonyms:

   answer

2. to request information about.

   to ask the way.

3. to try to get by using words; request.

   to ask advice; to ask a favor.

   Synonyms:

   appeal, sue

4. to solicit from; request of.

   Could I ask you a favor? Ask her for advice.

   Synonyms:

   entreat, beg, beseech

5. to demand; expect.

   What price are they asking? A little silence is all I ask.

6. to set a price of.

   to ask $20 for the hat.

7. to call for; need; require.

   This experiment asks patience.

8. to invite.

   to ask guests to dinner.

9. Archaic. to publish (banns).

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verb (used without object)

1. to make inquiry; inquire.

   to ask about a person.

   Antonyms:

   answer

2. to request or petition (usually followed byfor ).

   to ask for leniency; to ask for food.

   Synonyms:

   appeal, sue

noun

1. a question or inquiry.

2. a request, especially a demanding one.

   Is it too big an ask for you to give me a loan?

idioms

1. 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.

Ask ² American  

[ahsk] / ɑsk /

noun

Scandinavian Mythology.

1. the first man, made by the gods from an ash tree.

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ask ¹ British  

/ ɑːsk /

verb

1. (often foll by about) to put a question (to); request an answer (from)

   she asked (him) about God

2. (tr) to inquire about

   she asked him the time of the train

   she asked the way

3. (tr) to direct or put (a question)

4. to make a request or demand

   she asked (him) for information

   they asked for a deposit

5. (tr) to demand or expect (esp in the phrases ask a lot of, ask too much of )

6. 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

7. (tr) to need; require

   the job asks both time and patience

8. archaic (tr) to proclaim (marriage banns)

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noun

1. informal a task which is difficult to fulfil

Ask ² British  

/ ɑːsk /

noun

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

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ask More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing ask

• don't ask
• for the asking

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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. 

Ask can also mean to make a request for something. In this sense, it is often used in the phase “to ask for.”

• 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.  

Ask also means to invite someone to do something or go somewhere.

• 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.

Related Words

See inquire.

Other Word Forms

• asker
  noun
• unasking
  adjective
• unaskingly
  adverb

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

Push conflict, drama and personality above all else and eventually no one will ask what it is exactly it is that you do beyond posting.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

But for a first date, here are some low-stakes questions to ask to gain some insight into someone’s relationship with money without making the date feel like a credit-card application.

From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026

There are moments in life when David Lusby will take a moment and ask himself: "What would my brother Paul do?"

From BBC • May 18, 2026

The next phase of policy might have to be for European and U.S. policy makers to ask China to clean up its own house first and reduce the number of domestic car makers via consolidation.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

I tell her that there are some repairs ongoing there, and I don’t want to get in the way, and then I change the subject and ask her about her book club.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• appeal
• beg
• call for
• charge
• claim
• demand
• order
• petition
• plead
• request
• seek
• sue
• urge