request
Americannoun
-
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)
-
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:
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor did not respond to a request for comment.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Reps for Segura and Pazsitzky did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
For more than a decade, aircraft entering Yemeni airspace have needed prior clearance from the Saudi-led coalition that backs the government and says it enforces the restriction at its request.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
A Justice Department spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Incredibly, presidential security was very weak in that era, even during wartime; almost anyone could walk into the Executive Mansion without being searched and request a brief meeting with the president.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
A UC spokesperson and the chair of the admissions board, UC Riverside professor David Volz, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
She ordered the Southern District of Florida to deny any requests from attorney Daniel Epstein to join cases in the district for one year.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
The government did not respond to AFP's requests for comment for this article.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
A spokesman for Graham didn’t respond to requests for comment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Mack departed and returned almost immediately with a universal No which was designed by Lee Chong to cover all future requests.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
"The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki," the Irish budget airline said.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
AltaMed now requested approval to build a pop-up art park at 1st Street and Broadway for just a single, yearlong lease.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
A nine-dollar desk bell, seemingly purchased at Staples hours before showtime, requested specifically by Anderson.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
The official requested that it be held for national-security reasons, without providing further explanation and asked the paper to disclose the sources the article relied on, which the paper declined to do.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
The command desk has not requested a photograph, but I want to take one.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
It’s built into enough of a mystery that Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, wrote an open letter to McConnell on Wednesday requesting that he update Kentuckians on the status of his health.
From Slate ● Jul. 11, 2026
“As Governor — and a fellow public official who understands the commitment we’ve made to the people we serve — I am requesting the Senator provide an update on his current health status.”
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
Mittelstand businesses, which long prided themselves on a die-hard free-trade ethic, have recently started requesting government protection from state-backed Chinese firms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
Ahead of the sentencing, Reeves — the star of Rinsch’s most notable project to date — penned a letter in May requesting “leniency and mercy as well as justice” in the filmmaker’s sentencing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Knowing that Malia and Sasha were basically off-limits, the White House communications teams began requesting the dogs for official appearances.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
