ask for
Britishverb
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to try to obtain by requesting
he asked for help
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informal (intr) to behave in a provocative manner that is regarded as inviting (trouble)
she's asking for trouble
you're asking for it
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to ask after
tell your parents I'm asking for them
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Also, ask for it. To persist in an action despite the likelihood that it will bring trouble on oneself, as in Speeding as much as he does, he has been asking for a ticket and Mary deserved that low grade; in effect, she asked for it by not studying. [c. 1900] Also see ask for the moon.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“When the IRS makes an assessment like that, it’s not the end of the story. First, you have to make sure the amount is correct, and if it’s not, you can ask for a reconsideration.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026
“Seafarers should be able to go home when they ask for it. They don’t want to be heroes.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
‘It feels ironic to ask for privacy during this time,’ they said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
There are the long-simmered, brothy pots — the ones that ask for a Sunday afternoon, for a low flame and a little patience, their depth accumulating slowly, almost imperceptibly, over time.
From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026
If only he could ask for help from one of the Holy Beings!
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.