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Ask vs Propose - What's the difference?

ask | propose |

As verbs the difference between ask and propose

is that ask is to request (information, or an answer to a question) while propose is to suggest a plan, course of action, etc.

As nouns the difference between ask and propose

is that ask is an act or instance of asking while propose is an objective or aim.

As a proper noun Ask

is the first male human, according to the Poetic Edda.

ask

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) asken, from (etyl) .

Verb

(en verb)
  • To request (information, or an answer to a question).
  • I asked her age.
  • To put forward (a question) to be answered.
  • to ask a question
  • To interrogate or enquire of (a person).
  • I'm going to ask this lady for directions.
  • * Bible, John ix. 21
  • He is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
  • To request or petition; usually with for .
  • to ask for a second helping at dinner
    to ask for help with homework
  • * Bible, Matthew vii. 7
  • Ask , and it shall be given you.
  • 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?
  • * Addison
  • An exigence of state asks a much longer time to conduct a design to maturity.
  • To invite.
  • Don't ask them to the wedding.
  • To publish in church for marriage; said of both the banns and the persons.
  • (Fuller)
  • (figuratively) To take (a person's situation) as an example.
  • *
  • Usage notes
    * This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive . See * Pronouncing ask as /æks/ is a common example of metathesis and a feature of some varieties of English, notably African American Vernacular English (AAVE). * The action expressed by the verb ask'' can also be expressed by the noun-verb combination ''pose a question'' (confer the parallel in German between ''fragen'' and ''eine Frage stellen ).
    Derived terms
    * ask after * ask around * ask for * ask in * ask out * ask over * ask round * for the asking * no questions asked * outask

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An act or instance of asking.
  • * 2005 , Laura Fredricks, The ask :
  • 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.
  • Something asked or asked for; a request.
  • * 2008 , Doug Fields, Duffy Robbins, Speaking to Teenagers :
  • 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.
  • An asking price.
  • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) aske, arske, from (etyl) .

    Alternative forms

    *

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An eft; newt.
  • * 1876 , S. Smiles, Scottish Naturalist :
  • He looked at the beast. It was not an eel. It was very like an ask .
  • A lizard.
  • Statistics

    *

    propose

    English

    Verb

    (propos)
  • To suggest a plan, course of action, etc.
  • To ask for a person's hand in marriage.
  • To intend.
  • * 1859 , (John Gorham Palfrey), History of New England , Preface (Google preview):
  • I propose to relate, in several volumes, the history of the people of New England.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-08-16, author= John Vidal
  • , volume=189, issue=10, page=8, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Dams endanger ecology of Himalayas , passage=Many of the proposed dams would be among the tallest in the world.}}
  • (obsolete) To talk; to converse.
  • * 1599 , (William Shakespeare), (Much Ado About Nothing) , :
  • HERO. Good Margaret, run thee to the parlour;
    There shalt thou find my cousin Beatrice
    Proposing with the prince and Claudio
  • (obsolete) To set forth.
  • * 1616 , (George Chapman) (translator), Homer's Iliad , book 11:
  • . . . so weighty was the cup,
    That being propos'd brimful of wine, one scarce could lift it up.

    Usage notes

    * In use 1. this is sometimes a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing) . * In use 3, this is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive . * For more information, see * Compared to to suggest'', ''to propose is more deliberate and definite. To suggest is merely to mention, while to propose is to have a definite plan and intention.

    Synonyms

    * (l)

    Derived terms

    * proposal * proposition

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) An objective or aim.
  • *, II.17:
  • *:whose aime hath beene to make us not good and wittie, but wise and learned; She hath attained her propose .
  • Anagrams

    * English reporting verbs ----