• (British)
  • (RP) IPA: /ˈɑːsk/
  • (Northern England, Scotland) IPA: /ˈask/
  • (multicultural London also) IPA: /ˈɑːks/
• (America)
  • (America) IPA: /ˈæsk/
  • (New York, Philadelphia) IPA: /eəsk/
  • (AAVE, Cajun, Nigeria) enPR: ăks, IPA: /ˈæks/

ask (asks, present participle asking; past and past participle asked)

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

   I asked her age.

2. To put forward (a question) to be answered.

   to ask a question

3. To interrogate or enquire of (a person).

   I'm going to ask this lady for directions.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981 ↗, John 9:21 ↗:

     He is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.

4. To request or petition; usually with for.

   to ask for a second helping at dinner

   to ask for help with homework

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981 ↗, Matthew 7:7 ↗:

     Ask, and it shall be given you.

5. To request permission to do something.

   She asked to see the doctor.

   Did you ask to use the car?

6. 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?

   • RQ

     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.

7. To invite.

   Don't ask them to the wedding.

8. To publish in church for marriage; said of both the banns and the persons.
9. (figuratively) To take (a person's situation) as an example.

• French: demander, poser
• German: fragen, (eine Frage) stellen
• Italian: chiedere, domandare, interrogare
• Portuguese: perguntar
• Russian: спра́шивать
• Spanish: preguntar

• French: demander
• German: bitten
• Italian: chiedere, domandare
• Portuguese: pedir, solicitar, requerer, requisitar
• Russian: проси́ть
• Spanish: pedir, requerir

ask (plural asks)

1. An act or instance of asking.
2. Something asked or asked for; a request.
   • 2008, Doug Fields, Duffy Robbins, Speaking to Teenagers:

     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.

3. An asking price.

ask (plural asks)

1. (UK dialectal and Scotland) An eft; newt.
2. (UK dialectal) A lizard.

1. (Norse mythology) The first male human, according to the Poetic Edda.

1. Surname

ask (uncountable)

1. Initialism of amplitude shift keying