ask
Part of speech: verb
noun
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂eys-
Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti
Proto-Indo-European *h₂isḱéti
Proto-Germanic *iskaną
Proto-Germanic *aiskaz
Proto-West Germanic *aisk
Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti
Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti
Proto-Germanic *-ōną
Proto-West Germanic *-ōn
Proto-West Germanic *aiskōn
Old English āscian
Middle English asken
English ask
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).
Inflected forms:
form: asks
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: asking
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: asked
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: asked
pos: verb
tags: past
form: no-table-tags
pos: verb
tags: table-tags
form: glossary
pos: verb
tags: inflection-template
form: ask
pos: verb
tags: infinitive
form: ask
pos: verb
tags: first-person
present
singular
form: aks
pos: verb
tags: dialectal
first-person
present
singular
form: asked
pos: verb
tags: first-person
past
singular
form: aksed
pos: verb
tags: dialectal
first-person
past
singular
form: ask
pos: verb
tags: present
second-person
singular
form: askest
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
second-person
singular
form: asked
pos: verb
tags: past
second-person
singular
form: askedst
pos: verb
tags: archaic
past
second-person
singular
form: asks
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: aks
pos: verb
tags: dialectal
present
singular
third-person
form: akses
pos: verb
tags: dialectal
present
singular
third-person
form: asketh
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
singular
third-person
form: asked
pos: verb
tags: past
singular
third-person
form: aksed
pos: verb
tags: dialectal
past
singular
third-person
form: ask
pos: verb
tags: plural
present
form: asken
pos: verb
tags: archaic
plural
present
form: asked
pos: verb
tags: past
plural
form: aksed
pos: verb
tags: dialectal
past
plural
form: ask
pos: verb
tags: present
subjunctive
form: asked
pos: verb
tags: past
subjunctive
form: ask
pos: verb
tags: imperative
present
form: -
pos: verb
tags: imperative
past
form: asking
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: aksing
pos: verb
tags: dialectal
participle
present
form: asked
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: aksed
pos: verb
tags: dialectal
participle
past
form: aks
pos: verb
tags: alternative
form: ax
pos: verb
tags: alternative
form: aske
pos: verb
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: asks
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: aks
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: ax
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: aske
pos: noun
tags: alternative
obsolete
Senses:
gloss: To request or petition.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
transitive
examples: I asked her age.
I didn't know the answer so I asked.
Everyone always asks what my advice is, and my advice is don’t overintellectualize your art.
gloss: To request or petition.
pos: verb
tags: ditransitive
transitive
examples: I asked her (for) her age.
I’m going to ask this lady (for) directions.
If you want to know, ask her.
gloss: To request or petition.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
usually
examples: to ask for a second helping at dinner
to ask for help with homework
to ask a favour
If you want help, you only have to ask.
Ask, and it shall be given you.
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.
gloss: To request or petition.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Emma asked Jim to close his eyes.
gloss: To request or petition.
pos: verb
examples: She asked to see the doctor.
Did you ask to use the car?
gloss: To put forward (a question) to be answered.
pos: verb
examples: to ask a question
to ask a riddle
He is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
gloss: To require, demand, claim, or expect, whether by way of remuneration or return, or as a matter of necessity.
pos: verb
examples: What price are you asking for the house?
It’s asking a lot of this old car to make it all the way up to Scotland.
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.
gloss: To invite.
pos: verb
examples: Don’t ask them to the wedding.
gloss: To indirectly encourage or make more likely (an undesirable outcome).
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
examples: Walking around with such an expensive watch is asking to be mugged.
gloss: To publish in church for marriage; said of both the banns and the persons.
pos: verb
gloss: To take (a person's situation) as an example.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
examples: Even when the damage isn't that clear cut, the intangible burdens of a bad image can add up. Just ask Dow Chemical.
gloss: An act or instance of asking.
pos: noun
tags: informal
examples: To ask for a gift is a privilege, a wonderful expression of commitment to and ownership of the organization. Getting a yes to an ask can be a rush, but asking for the gift can and should be just as rewarding.
That really does not seem much of an ask.
gloss: Something asked or asked for.
pos: noun
tags: informal
examples: I know this is a big ask, but …
Communication researchers call this the foot-in-the-door syndrome. Essentially it's based on the observation that people who respond positively to a small “ask” are more likely to respond to a bigger “ask” later on.
gloss: An asking price.
pos: noun
tags: informal
examples: The buy prices are a bit higher than the sell prices; the difference between the buy/sell is called bid/ask spread. If you are selling a stock, you’ll get the bid price; if you are buying a stock, you’ll get the ask price.
gloss: A message sent to a blog on social networking platform Tumblr, which can be publicly posted and replied to by the recipient.
pos: noun
tags: Internet
informal
examples: Answering 'asks' like this is one common way that Tumblr bloggers interact with their followers, so it is in the act of publicly answering these asks that I examine community building practices.
The following example from Black Mental Health illustrates an ask from an anonymous follower seeking social support: […]
Once the number of unanswered Asks in the inbox was over eight thousand, despite us deleting everything accumulated in the inbox once a year.
Derived words: 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
ask price
bid-ask spread
big ask
hard ask
tough ask
Translations:
lang: Aghwan
word: 𐔱𐔴𐕚𐔴𐕚𐕒𐕡𐕎
roman: besesun
lang: Albanian
word: lut
lang: Arabic
word: سَأَلَ
roman: saʔala
lang: Arabic
word: طَلَبَ
roman: ṭalaba
lang: Arabic
word: طلب
roman: ṭalab
lang: Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
word: ܛܵܠܹܒ
roman: ṭālēb
lang: Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
word: ܫܵܐܹܠ
roman: šāʾēl
lang: Armenian
word: խնդրել
roman: xndrel
lang: Assamese
word: খোজা
roman: khüza
lang: Azerbaijani
word: diləmək
lang: Azerbaijani
word: arzu etmək
lang: Azerbaijani
word: xahiş etmək
lang: Azerbaijani
word: tələb etmək
lang: Basque
word: eskatu
lang: Belarusian
word: прасі́ць
roman: prasícʹ
lang: Belarusian
word: папрасі́ць
roman: paprasícʹ
lang: Bengali
word: চাওয়া
roman: caōẇa
lang: Bengali
word: বলা
roman: bola
lang: Bhojpuri
word: माँगल
roman: mā̃gal
lang: Bulgarian
word: мо́ля
roman: mólja
lang: Bulgarian
word: и́скам
roman: ískam
lang: Burmese
word: ပန်
roman: pan
lang: Burmese
word: တိုင်
roman: tuing
lang: Catalan
word: demanar
lang: Cherokee
word: ᎠᏔᏲᎯᎭ
roman: atayohiha
lang: Chickasaw
word: asilhha
lang: Chickasaw
word: asilhlha
lang: Chickasaw
word: imasilhha
lang: Chickasaw
word: ittimasilhha
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 請 /请
roman: qǐng
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 請求 /请求
roman: qǐngqiú
lang: Czech
word: žádat
lang: Czech
word: prosit
lang: Dalmatian
word: precur
lang: Danish
word: bede
lang: Dutch
word: vragen
lang: Esperanto
word: peti
lang: Estonian
word: paluma
lang: Finnish
word: pyytää
lang: French
word: demander
lang: Friulian
word: domandâ
lang: Galician
word: pedir
lang: Georgian
word: სთხოვს
roman: stxovs
lang: Georgian
word: ითხოვს
roman: itxovs
lang: German
word: bitten
lang: Old High German
word: bitten
lang: Greek
word: παρακαλώ
roman: parakaló
lang: Greek
word: ζητώ
roman: zitó
lang: Ancient Greek
word: αἰτέω
roman: aitéō
lang: Ancient Greek
word: ἐξαιτέω
roman: exaitéō
lang: Ancient Greek
word: αἰτίζω
roman: aitízō
lang: Paraguayan Guarani
word: jerure
lang: Hawaiian
word: noi
lang: Hawaiian
word: ui
lang: Hebrew
word: בִּקֵּשׁ
roman: bikésh
lang: Hebrew
word: שָׁאַל
roman: sha'ál
lang: Hindi
word: पूछना
roman: pūchnā
lang: Hindi
word: माँगना
roman: māṅgnā
lang: Hungarian
word: kér
lang: Hungarian
word: megkér
lang: Icelandic
word: spyrja
lang: Icelandic
word: biðja
lang: Ido
word: demandar
lang: Indonesian
word: minta
lang: Ingrian
word: kyssyä
lang: Irish
word: iarr
lang: Irish
word: pléigh
lang: Italian
word: chiedere
lang: Italian
word: domandare
lang: Japanese
word: 頼む
roman: tanomu
lang: Kannada
word: ಕೇಳು
roman: kēḷu
lang: Kazakh
word: өтіну
roman: ötınu
lang: Khmer
word: សួរ
roman: suə
lang: Khmer
word: សុំ
roman: som
lang: Komi-Permyak
word: корны
roman: korny
lang: Korean
word: 청하다
roman: cheonghada
lang: Korean
word: 부탁하다
roman: butakhada
lang: Central Kurdish
word: پرسین
roman: pirsîn
lang: Central Kurdish
word: داواکردن
roman: dawakirdin
lang: Northern Kurdish
word: xwestin
lang: Northern Kurdish
word: daxwaz kirin
lang: Northern Kurdish
word: dawa kirin
lang: Lao
word: ຂໍ
roman: khǭ
lang: Lao
word: ຈັງ
roman: chang
lang: Latin
word: rogō
lang: Latin
word: precor
lang: Latin
word: quaerō
lang: Latvian
word: prasīt
lang: Latvian
word: lūgt
lang: Latvian
word: pieprasīt
lang: Lithuanian
word: prašyti
lang: Luxembourgish
word: bieden
lang: Macedonian
word: моли
roman: moli
lang: Mongolian
word: гуйх
roman: gujx
lang: Norman
word: d'mander
lang: Norwegian
word: be om
lang: Occitan
word: demandar
lang: Old English
word: biddan
lang: Papiamentu
word: pidi
lang: Persian
word: درخواستن
roman: darxâstan
lang: Polish
word: prosić
lang: Polish
word: poprosić
lang: Portuguese
word: pedir
lang: Portuguese
word: solicitar
lang: Portuguese
word: requerer
lang: Portuguese
word: requisitar
lang: Quechua
word: mañai
lang: Romanian
word: cere
lang: Romanian
word: invita
lang: Romanian
word: ruga
lang: Russian
word: проси́ть
roman: prosítʹ
lang: Russian
word: попроси́ть
roman: poprosítʹ
lang: Sanskrit
word: पृच्छति
roman: pṛccháti
lang: Sardinian
word: apiliare
lang: Scots
word: speir
lang: Scots
word: frain
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: iarr
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: пи̏тати
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: мо̀лити
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: pȉtati
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: mòliti
lang: Slovak
word: žiadať
lang: Slovak
word: prosiť
lang: Slovene
word: prositi
lang: Lower Sorbian
word: pšosyś
lang: Spanish
word: pedir
lang: Spanish
word: requerir
lang: Sundanese
word: suhun
lang: Swahili
word: kuomba
lang: Swedish
word: be om
lang: Tagalog
word: humingi
lang: Tagalog
word: hingiin
lang: Tajik
word: дархост кардан
roman: darxost kardan
lang: Tamil
word: கேள்
roman: kēḷ
lang: Tamil
word: கோரு
roman: kōru
lang: Tamil
word: வேண்டு
roman: vēṇṭu
lang: Telugu
word: అడుగు
roman: aḍugu
lang: Thai
word: วาน
roman: waan
lang: Thai
word: ขอ
roman: kɔ̌ɔ
lang: Turkish
word: dilemek
lang: Ottoman Turkish
word: صورمق
roman: sormak
lang: Turkmen
word: haýyş etmek
lang: Udmurt
word: курыны
roman: kuryny
lang: Ugaritic
word: 𐎌𐎀𐎍
roman: šảl
lang: Ukrainian
word: проси́ти
roman: prosýty
lang: Ukrainian
word: попроси́ти
roman: poprosýty
lang: Urdu
word: مانگنا
roman: māṅgnā
lang: Uyghur
word: سوراش
roman: sorash
lang: Uzbek
word: iltimos qilmoq
lang: Venetan
word: domandar
lang: Venetan
word: dimandar
lang: Vietnamese
word: cầu xin
lang: Welsh
word: gofyn
lang: Welsh
word: holi
lang: Welsh
word: ceisio
lang: Xhosa
word: ukucela
lang: Yiddish
word: בעטן
roman: betn
lang: Zulu
word: buza
lang: Zulu
word: nxusa
lang: Zulu
word: ncenga
lang: Zulu
word: cela