ask

Meaning

Verb

1. (intransitive, transitive) To request or petition.
2. (ditransitive, transitive) To request or petition.
3. (transitive, usually) To request or petition.
4. (transitive) To request or petition.
5. To request or petition.
6. To put forward (a question) to be answered.
7. To require, demand, claim, or expect, whether by way of remuneration or return, or as a matter of necessity.
8. To invite.
9. To publish in church for marriage; said of both the banns and the persons.
10. (figuratively) To take (a person's situation) as an example.

Noun

1. (informal) An act or instance of asking.
2. (informal) Something asked or asked for.
3. (informal) An asking price.
4. (Internet, informal) A message sent to a blog on social networking platform Tumblr, which can be publicly posted and replied to by the recipient.

Noun

1. (Scotland, UK, dialectal, informal) An eft; newt.
2. (UK, dialectal, informal) A lizard.

Synonyms

request

inquire

question

❓

beg

interrogate

demand

invite

enquire

ask for

pray

🛐

solicit

query

beseech

plead

bid

implore

call

tell

require

seek

🔍

entreat

order

beg for

call for

inquire about

investigate

consult

command

summon

appeal

desire

ask a question

want

expect

persuade

need

petition

apply

claim

quiz

put

urge

quest

please

postulate

necessitate

say

🗣️

supplicate

search

take

Translations

demander

vragen

preguntar

chiedere

domandare

fragen

pedir

bitten

interroger

❓

prier

🛐

pedir

perguntar

ζητώ

verzoeken

solicitar

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɑːsk/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: asken

Inherited from Old English: āscian

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: aaskje

Cognate with Western Frisian: easkje

Cognate with Dutch: eisen

Cognate with German: heischen

Cognate with Russian: иска́ть

Cognate with Sanskrit: इच्छति

Cognate with Hindi: ईछना

Inherited from Middle English: aske

Inherited from Old English: āþexe

Cognate with German: Echse

In summary

From Middle English asken, axen, from Old English āscian, from Proto-West Germanic *aiskōn, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eys- (“to wish; request”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian aaskje (“to ask, demand, require”), West Frisian easkje (“to ask, demand, require”), Dutch eisen (“to demand, require”), German heischen (“to ask, request, implore”), Russian иска́ть (iskátʹ), Sanskrit इच्छति (iccháti) (whence Hindi ईछना (īchnā).

Sentences

" Who are you ?" he heard a voice ask him in Spanish .

Could I ask you to fill in this form , please ?

I will ask Liam if he can help me look .

Did you ask particularly that you should have yesterday , the Tuesday ?

You'll ask me to what ?

And if you ask me that's a phoney letter .