Synonyms: Ask

From curious kittens to intrepid reporters, this list dives into the art of inquiry and interrogation, offering words to describe every manner of questioning and quest for knowledge.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. adjure
    ask for or request earnestly
    Lord King, I adjure thee, open the gates, open thy heart. Zweig, Stefan
  2. appeal
    request earnestly; ask for aid or protection
    Bobby appealed to the members of the RJF Committee to see if they could help stop the film or get an injunction issued before it was completed. Endgame
  3. beseech
    ask for or request earnestly
    She went to the Maid and beseeched her to lend her courage to Arya and Sansa, to guard them in their innocence. A Clash of Kings
  4. bespeak
    express the need or desire for; ask for
    As his eyes met mine I was suddenly moved to bespeak him, to try to reach him with the mindspeech I had never used since I landed on Winter, and should not use, yet. The Left Hand of Darkness
  5. bid
    ask someone in a friendly way to do something
    Bear, standing behind me, did as I bid. Crispin: The Cross of Lead
  6. cadge
    ask or beg for something and get it for free
    Well, I suppose he must have found out your name somehow; and he's always cadging for money for a drink. Avery, Harold
  7. canvass
    get opinions by asking specific questions
    She organized a group of sixty women who canvassed the state of New York, collecting ten thousand signatures on petitions. Votes for Women!
  8. conjure
    ask for or request earnestly
    Now let me conjure you to take measures for the rescue of my poor sister. Various
  9. consult
    get or ask advice from
    I consulted with my family and decided to go ahead with the operation. Long Walk to Freedom
  10. crave
    plead or ask for earnestly
    “I crave pardon, neb Goldsmith,” the boy mumbled, hastily returning a scoop or two of the black lumps into the bin. The Golden Goblet
  11. demand
    request urgently and forcefully
    She complains all day long, constantly demands that the bandages be changed and is generally dissatisfied with everything. The Diary of a Young Girl
  12. enjoin
    give instructions to or direct somebody to do something
    As might be expected, Serjeant Clippinger had no interest in the case, and enjoined me to cease my prim bickering. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves
  13. entreat
    ask for or request earnestly
    My mother said a prayer before I left and entreated my ancestors to guide and protect me. Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography
  14. examine
    question closely
    Whatever I had learnt, had so slipped away from me in the sordid cares of my life from day to night, that now, when I was examined about what I knew, I knew nothing. Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho
  15. grill
    question or examine thoroughly
    In a way I was glad they were, because I knew Blanca would never argue or grill me in front of them. Bodega Dreams
  16. grub
    ask or beg for something and get it for free
    One character created by Shennawy is street parking attendant - a well-known figure around Cairo, grubbing for tips as he finds parking for drivers. Washington Times
  17. implore
    beg or request earnestly and urgently
    After they had been away ten years, the daughter implored her husband to return to her hometown. In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
  18. importune
    beg persistently and urgently
    “Rob, this is Helen at Base Camp,” Wilton importuned, sounding as if she was on the brink of tears. Into Thin Air
  19. inquire
    ask about
    Mr. Justice Wargrave inquired: "Do you know this part of the world well?" And Then There Were None
  20. interrogate
    pose a series of questions to
    Then Jazz, who at the time was only six, picked up where Doris left off and started interrogating him, asking him all kinds of crazy stuff. When I Was the Greatest
  21. invoke
    request earnestly; ask for aid or protection
    Confused, the sheepherder invoked Saint Anthony’s aid, even though that saint possessed nowhere near Santa Inez’s power when it came to locating lost pets. The Milagro Beanfield War
  22. petition
    request formally and in writing
    The subject of slavery was introduced because some of the counties, alarmed by the Nat Turner insurrection, had petitioned for the gradual emancipation of the slaves or for abolition of slavery. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
  23. pose
    introduce
    Among its regional leaders were five former Confederate generals; its staunchest supporters were the plantation owners for whom Reconstruction posed an economic and political nightmare. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
  24. pray
    entreat or beg
    I pray thee, Jack, I pray thee, do not draw. Henry IV, Part 2
  25. press
    ask for or request earnestly
    A thread of stubbornness took hold of Ella, and she wasn't going to stop pressing her godmother until she gave her some answers. The Marvellers
  26. propose
    ask (someone) to marry you
    Two weeks after the market, Tommy Forester proposed marriage to Bridget Comfrey, and she accepted. Stardust
  27. pry
    inquire in an uninvited or presumptuous manner
    “Stan warned that you might try to pry information out of me. Best not to be so curious about those kinds of things.” Fablehaven
  28. pump
    question persistently
    When I pasture the cow near the colegio, I time it so I can talk to the students, like an infiltrating spy, to pump them for information. The Queen of Water
  29. query
    pose a question
    “What do you want to do now?” he queried. Three Little Words: A Memoir
  30. raise
    put forward for consideration or discussion
    I couldn’t walk with my mother, either; a light-skinned child with a black woman would raise too many questions. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
  31. request
    ask a person to do something
    “He will build you this desk and chair in exchange for your help, sir. He humbly requests that you take on the job of tutoring me in math.” Tiger Boy
  32. seek
    inquire for
    “What I can do, however,” Badwa continued, “is provide you with answers to some of the questions you have entered this jungle seeking answers to. I can give you truth.” Beasts of Prey
  33. solicit
    request urgently or persistently
    Before Mark Antony could solicit help from Egypt, he needed to ascertain Cleopatra’s allegiance. Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen
  34. summon
    ask to come
    By then it was obvious to the guide that if somebody from the group didn’t make it to the tents and summon a rescue party, they were all going to die. Into Thin Air
  35. supplicate
    ask humbly for something
    I feared my inadequacies; supplicated Bono to yank tighter, which he squatted and did. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves
Created on Fri Apr 12 15:18:34 EDT 2024 (updated Tue May 21 09:33:14 EDT 2024)

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