ask

To request or petition.

Noun informal

  1. An act or instance of asking.
    • 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. - 2005,...
    • That really does not seem much of an ask. - 2022 December 14, Christian Wolmar, “No Marston Vale line trains... and no one in charge seems to 'give a damn'”, in RAIL, number 972, page 46:
  2. Something asked or asked for.
    • 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. -...

    Synonyms: request

  3. An asking price.
    • 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...
  4. A message sent to a blog on social networking platform Tumblr, which can be publicly posted and replied to by the recipient.
    • 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. - 2017, Abigail Oakley,...
    • The following example from Black Mental Health illustrates an ask from an anonymous follower seeking social support: […] - 2018, Lynette Kvasny, Fay Cobb Payton, “African American Youth Tumbling Toward Mental Health...
    • Once the number of unanswered Asks in the inbox was over eight thousand, despite us deleting everything accumulated in the inbox once a year. - 2020, Lee Brown, “Behind the Scenes of a Popular Trans Youth Resources...

Origin

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).

Forms

asks aks ax aske

Derived

ask price bid-ask spread big ask hard ask tough ask

Noun Scotland, also

  1. An eft; newt.
    • He looked at the beast. It was not an eel. It was very like an ask. - 1876, S. Smiles, Scottish Naturalist:
  2. A lizard.
    • We hear of Adder dens, but detailed accounts of the discovery of one are very rare. Service (1902) records that a peatman, when levelling on an estate by the Solway, found in a hole in the ground, some 8 inches below...

Origin

From Middle English aske, arske, ascre, from Old English āþexe (“lizard, newt”), from Proto-West Germanic *agiþahsijā (“lizard”), a compound of *agiz (“snake, lizard”) + *þahsuz (“badger”). Cognate of German Echse (“lizard”).

Forms

asks asker ascar askerd askard aks ax aske

Verb

  1. To request or petition.
    • 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. - 2022 October 14, Justin Curto, “The 1975’s Matty Healy Prefers Writing Lyrics He’s Afraid Of”, in Vulture, archived from the...

    1. (transitive, intransitive) To request (information, or an answer to a question).

    2. (transitive or ditransitive) To request or enquire of (a person).

      • I asked her (for) her age.
      • I’m going to ask this lady (for) directions.
      • If you want to know, ask her.

    3. (transitive usually with 'for' or intransitive) To request (an item or service) (see also ask for).

      • to ask for a second helping at dinner
      • to ask for help with homework
      • to ask a favour

    4. (transitive) To request (someone to do something).

      • Emma asked Jim to close his eyes.

    5. To request permission (to do something).

      • She asked to see the doctor.
      • Did you ask to use the car?
  2. To put forward (a question) to be answered.
    • to ask a question
    • to ask a riddle
    • He is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. - 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 9:21:
  3. To require, demand, claim, or expect, whether by way of remuneration or return, or as a matter of necessity.
    • 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. - 1705, J[oseph] Addison,...
  4. To invite.
    • Don’t ask them to the wedding.
  5. To indirectly encourage or make more likely (an undesirable outcome).
    • Walking around with such an expensive watch is asking to be mugged.
  6. To publish in church for marriage; said of both the banns and the persons.
  7. To take (a person's situation) as an example.
    • Even when the damage isn't that clear cut, the intangible burdens of a bad image can add up. Just ask Dow Chemical. - 1990 April 26, Paul Wiseman, “Dark days”, in USA Today:

Forms

asks asking asked no-table-tags glossary ask aks aksed askest askedst akses asketh asken - aksing ax aske

Hyponyms

beg beseech demand enquire entreat frain implore interrogate petition prompt query question request solicit supplicate

Derived

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