ask

Meanings

1. To put a question to someone.
2. To request something.
3. To invite someone.

Example sentences

• "Can I ask you a question?"

  Level A1, Meaning 1

• "She asked her mother for some money."

  Level A1, Meaning 2

• "He asked me to wait outside."

  Level A1, Meaning 2

• "They asked their neighbors to dinner."

  Level A2, Meaning 3

Synonyms and antonyms

Look-alikes and common mistakes

• request : Request is a formal word for asking for something. Ask is the everyday word.
• inquire : Inquire is a formal way of asking for information. Ask works for any question or request.

Word family and forms

Forms: asks, asked, asking

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "ask".

• ask a question
• ask for help
• ask someone out
• ask for directions
• ask politely
• ask around

Idioms and phrases

ask for trouble

To do something that will probably cause problems.

"Driving without a seat belt is asking for trouble."

ask around

To ask several people for information.

"I will ask around and see if anyone has seen your keys."

Origin

Ask comes from Old English ascian, an old Germanic verb meaning to ask or to wish for. The same word is found in other languages, such as German heischen. In Middle English it was sometimes spelled axen, and some people still say it that way in some dialects.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Ask has the same sounds as the first part of asking: a short word for a short, polite request.

Test yourself

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