Meaning

11 senses
  1. To request or petition.

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

    I asked her age.

    I didn't know the answer so I asked.

    fragen, stellen

    спра́шиватьsprášivatʹ, спроси́тьsprosítʹ, задава́тьzadavátʹ

    пита́тиpytáty, запита́тиzapytáty

    address a question to and expect an answer from

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

    I asked her (for) her age.

    I’m going to ask this lady (for) directions.

    make a request or demand for something to somebody

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

    to ask for a second helping at dinner

    to ask for help with homework

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

    Emma asked Jim to close his eyes.

    consider obligatory; request and expect

  5. To request permission (to do something).

    She asked to see the doctor.

    Did you ask to use the car?

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

    to ask a question

    to ask a riddle

  7. 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.

  8. To invite.

    Don’t ask them to the wedding.

  9. (figuratively)To indirectly encourage or make more likely (an undesirable outcome).

    Walking around with such an expensive watch is asking to be mugged.

  10. To publish in church for marriage; said of both the banns and the persons.

  11. (figuratively)To take (a person's situation) as an example.

Examples

22637 sentences
  1. Feel free to ask any questions.

    Не вагайтеся ставити питання.

    ruНе стесняйтесь задавать любые вопросы.

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  2. I asked him where he lived.

    Я запитав його, де він мешкає.

    ruЯ спросил его, где он живет.

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  3. I asked him about the accident.

    Я розпитав його про аварію.

    ruЯ спросил его об аварии.

    deIch fragte ihn nach dem Unfall.

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  4. I'm not about to ask him.

    Я не збираюся його питати просто зараз.

    ruЯ не собираюсь его спрашивать прям сейчас.

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  5. May I ask you a question?

    Можна, я поставлю питання?

    ruМогу я задать вам вопрос?

    deDarf ich dir eine Frage stellen?

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Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 2
make a request:
request an answer:
Русский
By meaning 2
make a request:
request an answer:
Deutsch
By meaning 2
make a request:
request an answer:

Origin

From Middle English asken, axen, from Old English āscian, from Proto-West Germanic *aiskōn

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).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

asks, asking, asked, asked
Base formask · to ask
3rd person singularasks
Present participleasking
Past simpleasked
Past participleasked

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theyask
he, she, itasks

Past simpleLesson

all personsasked

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave asked
he, she, ithas asked

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill ask

Phrasal verbs

8 phrasal verbs

Synonyms

14 synonyms
Close in meaning

Word family

21 related words

Collocations

12 patterns
  • want to ask
  • going to ask
  • been asked to
  • ask for help
  • asked her to
  • need to ask
  • asked for permission
  • like to ask
  • asked for a
  • to ask for
  • have to ask
  • been asked not

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
ask — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto