English Reference

Word

ask

US/ˈæsk/

UK/ˈɑːsk/

Definitions

01to pose a question

A1 · Beginner

v. to say something to get an answer or information.

v. to utter or address a question to someone in order to elicit information.

“If you don't know the way to the station, just ask a local.”

“The journalist asked the minister several pointed questions regarding the sudden shift in fiscal policy during the press conference.”

02to request something

A1 · Beginner

v. to tell someone you want something or want them to do something.

v. to make a request or petition for an object, service, or favour.

“I had to ask my boss for a day off to go to the dentist.”

“The charity asked for donations to support the families affected by the recent flooding in the valley.”

03to invite

A2 · Elementary

v. to invite someone to an event or to your home.

v. to invite someone to a social occasion or to a specific location.

“They decided to ask all their neighbours to the garden party.”

“She was hesitant to ask her colleagues to the wedding, fearing it might blur the lines between her professional and private life.”

Synonyms

04to demand a price

B1 · Intermediate

v. to say what price you want for something you are selling.

v. to expect or state a specific sum as a price for goods or services.

“They are asking five hundred dollars a month for the small room.”

“The gallery is asking a significant premium for the sculpture, citing its provenance and the artist's recent rise in popularity.”

Synonyms

05a request

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal

n. a request or something that you want someone to do.

n. a request or a task required of someone, often used to describe the difficulty of the demand.

“Finishing the whole project by tomorrow is a big ask.”

“Expecting the team to double their output without additional resources was a massive ask that led to significant burnout.”

06social media message

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Internet Informal

n. a message or question sent to someone on a social media blog.

n. an inquiry or message submitted to a user's profile on a social networking platform, typically for public response.

“She spent the evening answering anonymous asks on her blog.”

“The influencer's inbox was flooded with asks regarding her skincare routine following the viral video.”

Synonyms

Collocations

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “ask” in context.

01. specifically ask

Usage

The verb is transitive; when requesting an object, it typically takes the preposition 'for' ('ask for a glass of water').

Pitfall

I asked to him a question

I asked him a question

Ask is a transitive verb and does not require the preposition 'to' before the person being addressed.

Confusables

ask vs ask for

Ask is for questions and information; ask for is for requesting a physical object or a specific action.

RememberAsk a question. Ask for a thing.

Real-World Examples

“WASHINGTON, Sept 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked his new CDC director to remove a reference to two Pennsylvania deaths from the agency’s online measles tally after he questioned whether the disease contributed to the fatalities, three sources familiar with the situation said.”
Reuters 3 Sept 2026
“WASHINGTON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s White House has asked the Justice Department to examine potential new charges related to alleged vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool despite the department's decision to drop prior cases, according to two people familiar with the matter.”
Reuters 11 Aug 2026
“DUBAI, July 27 (Reuters) - Iran has not asked to resume talks with the United States to end the war, and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz has not changed, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Monday.”
Reuters 27 Jul 2026
“WASHINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) - Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping in a letter not to give Iran weapons, and Xi responded that China was not supplying Tehran, the U.S. president told Fox Business Network in an interview that aired on Wednesday.”
Reuters 15 Apr 2026

Etymology

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

The verb is cognate with Saterland Frisian aaskje and West Frisian easkje ("to ask, demand, require"), Dutch eisen ("to demand, require"), German heischen ("to ask, request, implore"), Russian иска́ть (iskátʹ), and Sanskrit इच्छति (iccháti), whence Hindi ईछना (īchnā).

From Proto-West Germanic agiþahsijā, a compound of agiz ("snake, lizard") and þahsuz ("badger"), the word passed into Old English as āþexe meaning "lizard" or "newt", then into Middle English as aske, arske, and ascre. The German cognate Echse retains the same sense.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related words

Idioms

Grammar

Domain

Internet

This entry

Exam level
CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
Frequency
Very common
Level
A1 · BeginnerOxford
Updated

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