request 1 of 2

1
as in question
an act or instance of asking for information the medical columnist is unable to answer individual requests for specific information on various disorders

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in demand
the state of being sought after especially for purchase reliable babysitters are much in request, especially on weekends

Synonyms & Similar Words

request

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word request distinct from other similar verbs?

The words ask and solicit are common synonyms of request. While all three words mean "to seek to obtain by making one's wants known," request implies greater formality and courtesy.

requests the pleasure of your company

In what contexts can ask take the place of request?

While in some cases nearly identical to request, ask implies no more than the statement of the desire.

ask a favor of a friend

When is it sensible to use solicit instead of request?

The words solicit and request are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, solicit suggests a calling attention to one's wants or desires by public announcement or advertisement.

a letter soliciting information

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of request
Noun
Representatives for Musk did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 1 Mar. 2025 Bezos did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. Jaden Amos, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025
Verb
An online petition posted online in 2020 requested that child protective services investigate the couple. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2025 Native chatbots can proactively request missing details or answer employees’ questions about reimbursement status or company policy. Marne Martin, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for request
Recent Examples of Synonyms for request
Noun
  • Lalami’s writing has often revolved around questions of migration, belonging, and the thin membrane that separates citizen from outsider; The Dream Hotel mines similar themes.
    Sam Worley, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Use the Interactive Tax Assistant tool on the IRS website for answers to your tax questions.
    Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • In the rush to industrialize, companies built tracks everywhere, often with no regard for actual demand.
    Craig S. Smith, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
  • That reach makes the company’s forecasts a bellwether for demand over a broad swath of the technology industry.
    Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • At their arraignment late Wednesday, a Brooklyn Criminal Court judge ordered the couple put on supervised release without bail.
    Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2025
  • The judge ordered the parties to confer on a briefing schedule.
    Gene Maddaus, Variety, 6 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The Seahawks are seeking a first- and third-round pick in exchange for the 27-year-old Metcalf, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported Thursday, and Metcalf is eyeing a new contract worth around $30 million per year.
    Michael-Shawn Dugar, The Athletic, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Srebnick ended the statement to criticize Adams for seeking the no-contact order.
    David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • That move set off a heated week between the prosecutors in the case and the Department of Justice — with several Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office lawyers resigning from their posts after being asked to put their weight behind a formal request to dismiss the case.
    Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2025
  • Jason Kelce, the former Eagles center turned ESPN analyst, asked how Travis made his decision to return to KC.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Netanyahu has resisted forming a commission of inquiry.
    Kat Lonsdorf, NPR, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Despite public pressure, including from the families of the roughly 1,200 people killed in the Oct. 7 attack and the 251 taken as hostages into Gaza, Netanyahu has resisted calls for a commission of inquiry.
    MOHAMMAD JAHJOUH, WAFAA SHURAFA, NATALIE MELZER AND TIA GOLDENBERG THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, arkansasonline.com, 28 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Additionally, the export of secondhand clothing to these regions often overwhelms local waste management systems and disrupts indigenous textile markets, perpetuating a cycle of dependency and environmental degradation.
    Nell Derick Debevoise, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
  • How important is the London TV Screenings market for you?
    Annika Pham, Variety, 25 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • When Parker invited his South Park partner Matt Stone to be his date, Stone initially wanted to wear a dress and pose as a fictitious European model.
    Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 2 Mar. 2025
  • The South Korean government invited William Ellsworth, a Stanford geophysicist, to study the Pohang quake and whether a nearby geothermal facility had caused it.
    Brent Crane, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Request.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/request. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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