1
as in to seek
to make a request for
don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to woo
to act so as to make (something) more likely
you are asking for trouble if you invite her ex to the wedding
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to request
to give a request or demand for
the surgeon asked for the scalpel
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ask (for)
Verb
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The plaintiffs seek at least $10 billion in damages over alleged leaks of their confidential tax information, a lawsuit showed Thursday.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026 -
In erasing these concepts, or transforming them into meaningless slogans, the recent right-wing campaign of educational suppression seeks to eliminate an important means of understanding Black history.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Nothing like it Eric Schickler, a political scientist at the University of California at Berkeley, points out that presidents more typically try to woo the places that voted against them.—
Ronald Brownstein,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
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And a whole succession of leaders from countries that are nominally still American allies — Britain, Germany, South Korea — are wooing rather than shunning Beijing to deepen economic cooperation.—
Andreas Kluth,
Twin Cities,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Mu Hee’s visits her Uncle and Aunt, and requests them to ask her father the whereabouts of her mother.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The Senate could split off DHS funding from the rest of the spending legislation, as Democrats are requesting, and send it back to the House.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Letters carried personal power and therefore invited judgment.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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The White House had invited some Democrats for a discussion to better understand their positions and avoid a partial government shutdown, a senior White House official said, but the meeting did not happen.—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This month, Alibaba upgraded its Qwen AI app so that users interacting with the chatbot can shop, order food and pay without leaving the app — thanks to integration with the company’s existing e-commerce platforms.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
25 Jan. 2026
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As part of her inquiry, Garnett ordered federal prosecutors to provide her with a copy of the affidavit submitted to obtain a federal search warrant in the matter.—
MICHAEL R. SISAK,
Arkansas Online,
24 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Ask (for).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ask%20%28for%29. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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