Link Centre Dictionary

ask

UK/ɑːsk/ US/ask/ very common informal

verb

1.

inquire about

  • “I asked about their special today”
  • “He had to ask directions several times”
Synonyms
2.

make a request or demand for something to somebody

  • “She asked him for a loan”
3.

direct or put; seek an answer to

  • “ask a question”
4.

consider obligatory; request and expect

  • “We require our secretary to be on time”
  • “Aren”
  • “;”
Synonyms
5.

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”
6.

address a question to and expect an answer from

  • “Ask your teacher about trigonometry”
  • “The children asked me about their dead grandmother”
7.

require as useful, just, or proper

  • “It takes nerve to do what she did”
  • “success usually requires hard work”
  • “This job asks a lot of patience and skill”
  • “This position demands a lot of personal sacrifice”
  • “This dinner calls for a spectacular dessert”
  • “This intervention does not postulate a patient”
Synonyms
Antonyms

Origin

From Middle English asken, axen, from Old English āscian, from Proto-West Germanic *aiskōn, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eys- (“to wish; request”).

Phrases

  • ask after
  • ask around
  • ask back
  • ask box
  • ask for
  • ask for it
  • ask for someone's hand in marriage
  • ask for the moon
  • ask price
  • bid-ask spread
  • big ask
  • hard ask

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

See also

Related verbs

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.