ask
verb
- say something in order to obtain an answer or some information.
- to request permission
- to set as a price
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ɑːsk/ / /ask/ / /ɑːks/
name
Etymology: Borrowed from Swedish Ask, from ask (“ash tree”), ultimately also from askr (“ash tree”). Doublet of Ash.
- A surname from Swedish.
noun
- Initialism of amplitude shift keying.
verb
Etymology: 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).
- To request or petition.
“I asked her age.”
“I didn't know the answer so I asked.”
- To request or petition.
“I asked her (for) her age.”
“I’m going to ask this lady (for) directions.”
- To request or petition.
“to ask for a second helping at dinner”
“to ask for help with homework”
- To request or petition.
“Emma asked Jim to close his eyes.”
- To request or petition.
“She asked to see the doctor.”
“Did you ask to use the car?”
- To put forward (a question) to be answered.
“to ask a question”
“to ask a riddle”
- 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.”
- To invite.
“Don’t ask them to the wedding.”
- To indirectly encourage or make more likely (an undesirable outcome).
“Walking around with such an expensive watch is asking to be mugged.”
- To publish in church for marriage; said of both the banns and the persons.
- 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.”