Request and Answer: English Vocabulary List

to sincerely and desperately ask for something

"I beseech you to reconsider the decision."

"The desperate mother fell to her knees to beseech the doctor to do everything possible to save her sick child's life."

to earnestly request or obtain something through prayer, entreaty, or supplication

"He impetrated a favor from the king."

"The priest prayed fervently to impetrate divine forgiveness for the sins of the congregation during the solemn religious ceremony."

to ask questions in order to seek information or clarification

"Query the database for customer records."

"The journalist decided to query the government official about the suspicious financial transactions that had recently come to light."

to earnestly and desperately beg for something

"She implored him to stay home."

"The mother implored her teenage son to stay away from drugs and alcohol and to make better choices."

to ask someone questions in a formal way

"The teacher catechized the student."

"The priest spent many hours trying to catechize the young children before their first communion."

to reply quickly and sharply, often in a clever or aggressive manner

"He retorted with a sharp remark."

"When accused of lying she quickly retorted that she had proof of her innocence."

to annoy someone repeatedly by making persistent requests

"Stop pestering your little sister."

"The little boy continued to pester his mother for a new toy despite her repeated refusals."

to request something in an annoyingly persistent way

"Street vendors importune tourists for business."

"Street vendors often importune tourists to buy souvenirs by following them for several blocks."

to formally question someone, especially in a legal or parliamentary context

"The senator interpellated the minister."

"The opposition leader rose to interpellate the minister about the recent corruption scandal."

to ask or request humbly and earnestly, typically in a religious or devotional context

"They supplicated the gods for rain."

"The loyal subjects knelt before the king to supplicate for mercy and forgiveness after they had unknowingly violated one of his strict laws."

to ask a lot of challenging and persistent questions to get information or clarification

"They grill him."

"The investigative journalist continued to grill the politician about the controversial funding scandal."

to respond to someone often in a witty, angry, or disapproving manner

"She rejoined with a smile."

"After a long pause he rejoined the conversation with an interesting observation about the topic."

to answer questions or deal with requests

"He will field questions."

"The spokesperson was prepared to field all the difficult questions from the press during the live interview."