ask
$ \mathrm{ask}^1
/ɑːsk/
question
How old are you—if you don’t mind me/my asking?
ask about somebody/something He asked about her family.
ask something Can I ask a question?
Did you ask the price?
You do what I tell you to, no questions asked.
There are three important questions to ask.
frequently asked questions
+ speech ‘Where are you going?’ she asked.
ask somebody + speech ‘Are you sure?’ he asked her.
ask somebody something She asked the students their names.
I often get asked that!
I had to ask myself some very difficult questions.
I'd like to ask you a few questions.
Why does everyone keep asking me that?
ask somebody about something The interviewer asked me about my future plans.
When specifically asked about the report, she indicated she had not read it.
ask where, what, etc… He asked where I lived.
ask somebody where, what, etc… I had to ask the teacher what to do next.
I was asked if/whether I could drive.
You cannot say ‘ask to somebody’: I asked to my friend what had happened.
Collocations
adverb
verb + ask
preposition
about
phrases
get asked something
if you don’t mind me asking
if you don’t mind my asking
request
2 transitive to tell somebody that you would like them to do something or that you would like something to happen ask somebody to do something Anyone with information is asked to contact the police.
Parents with young children are asked to attend this meeting.
They were politely asked to leave the shop.
Eric asked me to marry him.
All the students were asked to complete a questionnaire.
ask whether, what, etc… I asked whether they could change my ticket.
ask somebody whether, what, etc… She asked me if I would give her English lessons.
ask that… (formal) She asked that she be kept informed of developments.
(British English also) She asked that she should be kept informed.
If you ask her nicely, she'll give you a hand.
Collocations
adverb
preposition
for
ask for something Don't be afraid to ask for help.
I am writing to ask for some information about courses.
to ask for a job/a drink/an explanation
Did your friend ask for permission to use the image?
ask something Why don't you ask his advice?
ask somebody for something Why don't you ask him for his advice?
ask something of somebody Can I ask a favour of you?
ask somebody something Can I ask you a favour?
permission
4 transitive to request permission to do something ask to do something I immediately asked to speak to a supervisor.
I asked to see the manager.
Did you ask to use the car?
ask if, whether, etc… I'll ask if it's all right to park here.
ask somebody if, whether, etc… She asked her boss whether she could have the day off.
invite
ask somebody + adv./prep. They've asked me to dinner.
ask somebody Thank you so much for asking me.
I didn't ask them in (= to come into the house).
We must ask the neighbours round (= to our house).
ask somebody to do something She's asked him to come to the party.
money
6 transitive ask something (for something) to request a particular amount of money for something that you are selling He's asking £2 000 for the car.
How much were they asking for their house?
expect/demand
ask something I know I'm asking a great deal.
ask something of somebody You're asking too much of him.
ask something to do something I know it's asking a lot to expect them to win again.
Idioms
(informal) to deserve something bad that happens to you or that somebody does to you
‘You shouldn’t have said that to her.’ ‘Well, she asked for it!’
(informal) to behave in a way that is very likely to result in trouble
He was asking for trouble when he insulted their country.
TOPICS Opinion and argumentC2
(informal) if you say don’t ask to somebody, you mean that you do not want to reply to their question, because it would be difficult to explain, embarrassing, etc.
‘And what did he do then?’ ‘Don’t ask!’
(informal) if you say don’t ask me, you mean that you do not know the answer to a question and are annoyed you have been asked
‘What will the meeting be about?’ ‘Don’t ask me.’
if you can have something for the asking, it is very easy for you to get it if you ask for it
The job is yours for the asking.
(informal) if you say I ask you, you are expressing shock, anger or a strong feeling of dislike about something/somebody
He told me I had to work late on Friday night. I ask you!
Phrasal Verbs
$ \mathrm{ask}^2
/ɑːsk/
Idioms
Word Origin