ask
asked; asking; asks
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.
Definitions of ask
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make a request or demand for something to somebody“She asked him for a loan”
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types:
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request
ask (a person) to do something
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solicit
make a solicitation or petition for something desired
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enjoin, order, say, tell
give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority
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call
order, summon, or request for a specific duty or activity, work, role
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bid, invite
ask someone in a friendly way to do something
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declare oneself, offer, pop the question, propose
ask (someone) to marry you
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direct or put; seek an answer to“ask a question”
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type of:
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articulate, formulate, give voice, phrase, word
put into words or an expression
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articulate, formulate, give voice, phrase, word
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address a question to and expect an answer from“Ask your teacher about trigonometry”“The children asked me about their dead grandmother”
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query, question
pose a question
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interrogate, question
pose a series of questions to
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enquire, inquire, wonder
have a wish or desire to know something
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interpellate
question formally about policy or government business
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examine
question closely
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pump
question persistently
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check out, feel out, sound out
try to learn someone's opinions and intentions
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debrief
put someone through a debriefing and make him report
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inquire about“I asked about their special today”“He had to ask directions several times”
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types:
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pry
be nosey
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confer with, consult
get or ask advice from
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type of:
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communicate, intercommunicate
transmit thoughts or feelings
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pry
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require or ask for as a price or condition“He is asking $200 for the table”“The kidnappers are asking a million dollars in return for the release of their hostage”
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type of:
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demand
request urgently and forcefully
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demand
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consider obligatory; request and expect
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require as useful, just, or proper“This job asks a lot of patience and skill”
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claim, exact, take
take as an undesirable consequence of some event or state of affairs
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govern
require to be in a certain grammatical case, voice, or mood
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draw
require a specified depth for floating
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cost
require to lose, suffer, or sacrifice
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cry for, cry out for
need badly or desperately
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compel
necessitate or exact
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘ask'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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