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Glite Dictionary
to ask round

to ask round

4.1
To invite people to your home for a visit or meal
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
translation icon : invitar a casa
  • We decided to ask round all our friends for a barbecue this weekend.

Examples

  • If you're free Friday, I'll ask round a few colleagues for dinner.

  • Did you ask Sarah round last weekend?

  • They love to ask round neighbors whenever there's a holiday.

  • I will ask you round for dinner tomorrow.

  • If you're free this weekend, I'll ask round some friends for a barbecue.

  • We decided to ask round our neighbors for a get-together next week.

  • Can I ask round you for dinner at my place sometime soon?

Synonyms

to invite
vsto ask round
∞ 1.0

To ask someone politely to come or take part in an event

is specifically about asking someone to come to your home for a visit or meal
to ask in
vsto ask round
12 1.0

Invite someone to come into a room or house

focuses more on a social home visit or shared meal rather than mere entry
to ask over
vsto ask round
  • US
9 3.1

Invite someone to your home for dinner or drinks

is used especially when inviting for a social visit or meal
to invite to dinner
vsto ask round
3 1.2

Ask someone to join you for an evening meal

is broader, covering social home visits as well as meals
to have company over
vsto ask round
1 1.8

Invite people to your home to visit or eat

emphasizes inviting someone to visit rather than the act of hosting itself

Antonyms

to decline
272 3.4

To say no politely to an offer or invitation

How Formal

to invite
∞ 1.0
to ask over
  • US
9 3.1
to ask round
  • UK
4.1

Surface Forms

ask round infinitive
asked round past
asked round past participle
asking round present participle
asks round third person singular

Morphology

ask + round

The verb 'ask' (request) combined with 'round' (visit) yields a meaning that is partially recoverable: a learner who knows 'round' can infer an invitation to a visit, but the phrasal-verb usage ('ask someone round' = invite someone to your home) depends on knowledge of this specific collocation and British usage. Because the sense requires recognising 'round' as indicating coming to someone's place and the phrasal pattern rather than simple compositional combination, it is not fully transparent to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

The phrasal verb ask round may come from the simple idea of asking someone to come round to your home. So, when you ask round someone today, you mean 'to invite them to your house'.