ask
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɑːsk/
ipa: /ˈask/
ipa: /ˈɑːks/
ipa: /ˈask/
ipa: /ˈæsk/
ipa: /ɛəsk/
note: African-American Vernacular, Cajun, Nigeria
enpr: ăks
ipa: /ˈæks/
note: African-American Vernacular, Cajun, Nigeria
note: k̚
ipa: /ˈas
ipa: ˈɛs/
rhymes: -æsk
rhymes: -ɑːsk
homophone: acts
homophone: ax
homophone: axe stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
Forms: form: asks
form: asking
form: asked
form: asked
form: no-table-tags
form: glossary
form: ask
form: ask
form: aks
form: asked
form: aksed
form: ask
form: askest
form: asked
form: askedst
form: asks
form: aks
form: akses
form: asketh
form: asked
form: aksed
form: ask
form: asken
form: asked
form: aksed
form: ask
form: asked
form: ask
form: -
form: asking
form: aksing
form: asked
form: aksed
form: aks
form: ax
form: aske
Etymology: 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).
Senses: examples: text: I asked her age.
text: I didn't know the answer so I asked.
text: Everyone always asks what my advice is, and my advice is don’t overintellectualize your art.
ref: 2022 October 14, Justin Curto, “The 1975’s Matty Healy Prefers Writing Lyrics He’s Afraid Of”, in Vulture, archived from the original on 18 Oct 2022:
glosses: To request or petition.
To request (information, or an answer to a question).
examples: text: I asked her (for) her age.
text: I’m going to ask this lady (for) directions.
text: If you want to know, ask her.
glosses: To request or petition.
To request or enquire of (a person).
examples: text: to ask for a second helping at dinner
text: to ask for help with homework
text: to ask a favour
text: If you want help, you only have to ask.
text: Ask, and it shall be given you.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 7:7:
text: Services during Yom Kippur are held continuously through the day and include readings from the Torah and the reciting of prayers expressing regret or asking for forgiveness.
ref: 2019 October 8, Christina Maxouris and Doug Criss, “Everything you wanted to know about Yom Kippur”, in CNN:
glosses: To request or petition.
To request (an item or service); see also ask for.
raw_tags: with 'for' or intransitive
examples: text: Emma asked Jim to close his eyes.
glosses: To request or petition.
To request (someone to do something).
examples: text: She asked to see the doctor.
text: Did you ask to use the car?
glosses: To request or petition.
To request permission (to do something).
examples: text: to ask a question
text: to ask a riddle
text: He is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 9:21:
glosses: To put forward (a question) to be answered.
examples: text: What price are you asking for the house?
text: It’s asking a lot of this old car to make it all the way up to Scotland.
text: But in any Exigence of State, like that they are now pressed with, it certainly asks a much longer time to conduct any Design, for the Good of the Common-wealth, to its Maturity and Perfection.
ref: 1705, J[oseph] Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
glosses: To require, demand, claim, or expect, whether by way of remuneration or return, or as a matter of necessity.
examples: text: Don’t ask them to the wedding.
glosses: To invite.
glosses: To publish in church for marriage; said of both the banns and the persons.
examples: text: Even when the damage isn't that clear cut, the intangible burdens of a bad image can add up. Just ask Dow Chemical.
ref: 1990 April 26, Paul Wiseman, “Dark days”, in USA Today:
glosses: To take (a person's situation) as an example.
Hyponyms: beg
beseech
demand
enquire
entreat
frain
implore
interrogate
petition
prompt
query
question
request
solicit
supplicate
Derived terms: askability
askable
ask after
ask around
ask back
ask box
askee
ask for
ask for it
ask for someone's hand in marriage
ask for the moon
ask for trouble
askhole
ask how high when someone says jump
ask in
asking for a friend
asking rate
ask me anything
ask me one about sport
ask me one on sport
ask my arse
ask out
ask over
ask round
ask the impossible
ask the question
depends who's asking
don't ask
don't ask me
for the asking
I ask you
if you ask me
I thought you'd never ask
it's better to ask forgiveness than permission
it's easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission
misask
never ask the barber if you need a haircut
no questions asked
outask
reask
shoot first and ask questions later
unask
who's asking