request
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.the act of asking for something politely or formally.
n.the act of expressing a desire for something to be granted or done. Often used with the preposition 'for' or followed by a 'that' clause.
Simple“The manager granted her request for a few days off work.”
In context“The department head reviewed the formal request for additional funding, noting that the budget was already stretched thin for the current quarter.”
PitfallHe made a request for help me. He made a request for help.After 'request for', use a noun or a gerund, not an infinitive verb phrase.
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a message sent from one computer to another to ask for information.
n.a digital signal or message sent over a network to a server to initiate an action or retrieve data.
Simple“The website was slow because it received too many requests at once.”
In context“The server failed to process the incoming HTTP request because the authentication token had expired during the transmission.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
v.to ask for something in a polite or official way.
v.to express a desire for something; to ask a person or organisation to provide something or perform an action.
Simple“You can request a copy of your medical records from the clinic.”
In context“The ambassador requested an urgent meeting with the prime minister to discuss the deteriorating situation at the border.”
UsageThis verb is transitive and takes a direct object.
PitfallI requested for a new password. I requested a new password.As a verb, 'request' is transitive and does not take the preposition 'for'. Only the noun form uses 'request for'.
request vs ask for — Request is a formal transitive verb, while ask for is the standard phrasal verb for everyday needs.
Usage request for the content · request for comment · request about the new
From Middle English request, from Old French requeste (French requête), from Vulgar Latin requaesita, from Latin requīsīta, feminine of requīsītus (“requested, demanded”), past participle of requīrō (“require, ask”), composed of re- + quaerō (“to seek, look for”), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Italic kʷaizeō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- (“to acquire”). Compare to French requérir.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.