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:
Meta did not respond to my request for comment.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
It didn't respond to a request for comment, but it has rejected suggestions that its influence is collapsing, saying hundreds of candidates it backed have won their primaries.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
If “yes” is checked, the contract states that a list of subcontractors — including their names, contact information, license numbers and classifications — must be provided to the homeowner upon request.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
The L.A. city attorney’s office, which represents police officers in civil matters, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
The letter is a request for patronage, a sort of job application.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Much may depend on whether US courts side with Uefa over its requests for disclosure of evidence related to the FFE plan.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
PayPal and Stripe didn’t immediately respond to MarketWatch’s requests for comment.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
Two federal judges in New York approved the subpoena requests, which had been filed a day earlier, according to court documents reviewed by AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Fernandez, whose office didn’t respond to requests for comment, has repeatedly said her goal is to reform the country’s institutions, not take over the judiciary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Nor does he bat an eyelash when Scoob requests a gas station stop in Shreveport to deliver hand-drawn cards to a pair of workers that say Thanks for the Anonymous Tip.
From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone
In a separate filing in Florida, attorneys for the organization also requested documents specifically from FIFA, which keeps an office in Miami.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
After entering a plea in the case, York had requested records from the case be sealed, but his request was denied by an administrative judge, court records show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Ofgem said the amount of electricity being requested by data centre projects seeking to connect to the grid had risen from 41GW to 125GW in the past year, reflecting a sharp increase in demand.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The inspection was requested by Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones, who said the public "must have confidence" in the force.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
“We’re following up our emails with formal letters to organize the Granger parents. The letters inform parents that we’ve requested a meeting with the board to discuss ways to make the school a safer space.”
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
Several deportees have already returned to their home countries after requesting voluntary repatriation to reunite with their families, the government previously said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Under Sharia, a woman requesting that her husband agrees to a divorce may have to return some or all of the money given to her by him when they married.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
DHS just needed to submit a letter officially requesting the data for those purposes, an attorney in the legal counsel’s office explained, according to internal emails.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
The federal government withdrew its original subpoena and responded with a grand jury subpoena requesting roughly an additional month of social-media activity, dating back to December 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
He told them they probably wouldn’t be able to get a telephone hookup for at least a year, since he just got his after requesting it forever.
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
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.
