request
Americannoun
-
requests
plural
-
the act of asking for something to be given or done, especially as a favor or courtesy; solicitation or petition.
At his request, they left.
- Synonyms:
- prayer, supplication, entreaty
-
an instance of this.
There have been many requests for the product.
-
a written statement of petition.
If you need supplies, send in a request.
-
something asked for.
to obtain one's request.
-
the state of being asked for; demand.
verb (used with object)
-
requests,
present (3rd person singular)
-
requested,
past participle, past
-
requesting
present participle
-
to ask for, especially politely or formally.
He requested permission to speak.
- Synonyms:
- supplicate, petition
-
to ask or beg; bid (usually followed by a clause or an infinitive).
to request that he leave;
to request to be excused.
-
to ask or beg (someone) to do something.
He requested me to go.
idioms
verb
noun
-
-
the act or an instance of requesting, esp in the form of a written statement; petition or solicitation
a request for a song
-
( as modifier )
a request programme
-
-
in accordance with the specific demand or wish of (someone)
-
in accordance with someone's desire
-
in demand; popular
he is in request in concert halls all over the world
-
on the occasion of a demand or request
application forms are available on request
Synonym Usage
See beg 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
requestsimple
-
requestssimple
-
have requestedperfect
-
has requestedperfect
-
am requestingprogressive
-
are requestingprogressive
-
is requestingprogressive
-
have been requestingperfect progressive
-
has been requestingperfect progressive
Past
-
requestedsimple
-
had requestedperfect
-
was requestingprogressive
-
were requestingprogressive
-
had been requestingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of request
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English requeste (noun), from Old French, from Vulgar Latin requaesita (unrecorded) “things asked for,” noun use of neuter plural past participle of requaerere (unrecorded) “to seek” (literary Latin requīrere require ( def. ) )
Explanation
To request something means to formally ask for it. If you're sick of always getting a middle seat on the airplane, put in a request for the aisle or window next time. You can request something you want, like extra cheese on your pizza, or a better parking space, but you can also "put in a request." Request has a formal quality, as in "request forms." After all, you won't find any "ask forms" out there. Asking for something is one thing, making a request is another. It's more official. If you want to request a certain professor, you'd better put in a request!
Vocabulary lists containing request
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Catching Fire
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The Titan's Curse
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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:
During the heat of their federal antitrust trial in 2024, Albertsons’ then-CEO Vivek Sankaran called his counterpart at Kroger with a last-ditch request to help ease regulators’ concerns, according to the filing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
His request was later denied by a judge.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
It might remember my favorite coffee, anticipate the substitution I’m about to request and move me through the line several seconds faster.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
A government spokesperson did not immediately respond to request for comment on the PTI provincial leader detentions.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026
Estimo then renewed his request that the Targ brothers submit their DNA, so it could be compared with the samples taken from the body in the coffin.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
The same investigators received requests last week to recover a dozen Ram trucks tracked to Sinaloa and seven more in Durango state.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
Attorneys general offices for the remaining six states did not respond to requests for comment.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Hoka didn’t respond to requests for comment about safety concerns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Utilities in Southern states asked for $2.2 billion in rate hikes during the third quarter, according to PowerLines, comprising the steepest requests in the country.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026
He’d started to receive fan letters and requests for photos, autographs, even some selected game scores to autograph and inscribe—not just from the United States but from different corners of the globe.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
At the same time, utilities across the country have requested $23 billion in rate increases through September.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026
The prosecution has requested 210 years imprisonment for each of the accused, though the maximum sentence in Baja California is 60 years.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
More than 286,000 importers requested refunds, according to a September court filing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Oakland resident Assata Olugbala, 81, asked for help removing Google’s AI bot Gemini from her devices after it started offering help she hadn’t requested.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Bostick provided them with his identification and ticket, as requested.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Consumer Reports, a nonprofit organization, sent a letter Thursday to the FDA expressing concern over the agency’s outbreak response and requesting answers to a series of questions next month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
"Our main concern is his arrival won't be safe," she told AFP from Malaysia, requesting anonymity for security reasons after losing contact with her brother before the vessels set sail.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
Last month European football's governing body filed legal papers in the US requesting disclosure of evidence and documents from Fifa, warning it could lodge a criminal complaint in Switzerland.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
These caps would cover freehold estates and privately managed estates where people can face additional fees for making cosmetic changes to their properties and requesting documents like building safety certificates.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
I would have been horrified if I had known that two days after I received the music box, Mary Miller wrote Mr. Ferris requesting that parental contact be stopped altogether.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
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.
