Etimology
From Middle English asken (also esken, aschen, eschen, etc.), 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).
verb
ask (third-person singular simple present asks, present participle asking, simple past and past participle asked)
(transitive or ditransitive) To request (information, or an answer to a question).
To put forward (a question) to be answered.
To interrogate or enquire of (a person).
To request or petition; usually with for.
To request permission to do something.
To require, demand, claim, or expect, whether by way of remuneration or return, or as a matter of necessity.
To invite.
To publish in church for marriage; said of both the banns and the persons.
(figuratively) To take (a person's situation) as an example.
Examples
I asked her age.
I asked her her age.
to ask a question
I'm going to ask this lady for directions.
He is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
to ask for a second helping at dinner
to ask for help with homework
Emma asked Jim to close his eyes.
Ask, and it shall be given you.
She asked to see the doctor.
Did you ask to use the car?
What price are you asking for the house?
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.
Don't ask them to the wedding.
Even when the damage isn't that clear cut, the intangible burdens of a bad image can add up. Just ask Dow Chemical.
Related words
hyponyms
beg, beseech, demand, enquire, entreat, frain, implore, interrogate, petition, prompt, query, question, request, solicit, supplicate
noun
ask (plural asks)
An act or instance of asking.
Something asked or asked for.
An asking price.
(Internet) A message sent to a blog on social networking platform Tumblr, which can be publicly posted and replied to by the recipient.
Examples
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.
That really does not seem much of an ask.
Synonym: request
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.
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.
The following example from Black Mental Health illustrates an ask from an anonymous follower seeking social support: […]
Once the number of unanswered Asks in the inbox was over eight thousand, despite us deleting everything accumulated in the inbox once a year.
Etimology
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”).
noun
ask (plural asks)
(UK dialectal and Scotland) An eft; newt.
(UK dialectal) A lizard.
Examples
He looked at the beast. It was not an eel. It was very like an ask.
We hear of Adder dens, but detailed accounts of the discovery of one are very rare. Service records that a peatman, when levelling on an estate by the Solway, found in a hole in the ground, some 8 inches below the surface, 40 adders, 10 toads and a large number of asks .