ask after
To enquire about the health or progress (of someone).
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“My neighbor often asks after my sick mother.”
“When I saw my former teacher at the store, she kindly asked after my progress at university.”
“During our brief correspondence, he frequently asked after the well-being of my family, demonstrating a level of concern that I found quite touching.”
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ask around
To enquire of different people about something.
- 02
ask for it
To provoke an unwanted action; to invite a problem or fail to prevent one.
- 03
ask for the moon
To claim or desire something that one cannot have.
- 04
ask my arse
A common reply to any question; once common at court and among sailors, under the name of "selling bargains".
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ask round
To enquire of several people.
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get what one asked for
Synonym of get what's coming to one.
- 07
shoot first and ask questions later
To take hasty, immediate action with serious consequences, without first adequately investigating the situation.
Last updated August 10, 2026