ask around

verb

To enquire of different people about something.

“I don't know the answer to that, but maybe someone else does – I'll ask around.”

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbask around (third-person singular simple present asks around, present participle asking around, simple past and past participle asked around)

present singular third person asks around · participle present asking around · participle past asked around · past asked around

  1. idiomaticintransitiveTo enquire of different people about something.

    I don't know the answer to that, but maybe someone else does – I'll ask around.

    1 more example

    So a concom has to look twice, ask around, and gather information judiciously.

    1986 June, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, “GoB Criteria”, in The Mad 3 Party, number 12, archived from the original on 06 Aug 2023, page 18

Translations

Finnish kysellä
  • kyselläTranslations
French demander autour de soi
  • demander autour de soiTranslations
Hungarian kérdezősködik, körbekérdez
  • kérdezősködikTranslations
  • körbekérdezTranslations
Polish popytać, zasięgać języka
  • popytaćTranslations
  • zasięgać językaTranslations
  • zasięgnąć językaTranslations
Ukrainian розпита́ти, розпи́тувати
  • розпита́ти (rozpytáty)Translations
  • розпи́тувати (rozpýtuvaty)Translations
Cite this entry
APA

ask around. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ask%20around

MLA

“ask around.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ask%20around. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ask around,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ask%20around.

Source: ask around on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.