# ask

/ˈæsk/ (US) · /ˈɑːsk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/ask
Updated: 2026-05-31

## Senses

### 1. to pose a question

verb · CEFR A1

to say something to get an answer or information.

For teachers: 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.

### 2. to request something

verb · CEFR A1

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

For teachers: 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.

### 3. to invite

verb · CEFR A2

to invite someone to an event or to your home.

For teachers: 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.

### 4. to demand a price

verb · CEFR B1

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

For teachers: 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.

### 5. a request

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a request or something that you want someone to do.

For teachers: 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.

### 6. social media message

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

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

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- I need to ask my teacher a question.
- If you are not sure where the office is, you should ask the receptionist for directions.
- The researchers plan to ask participants to complete a detailed survey regarding their daily habits to gather more qualitative data for the study.

## Pitfalls

- Not "I asked to him a question" but "I asked him a question" — Ask is a transitive verb and does not require the preposition 'to' before the person being addressed.

## Usage notes

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

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.