Formal:
* Inquire: To ask for information or details.
* Interrogate: To question formally and systematically.
* Query: To ask a question, often for clarification.
* Request: To formally ask for something.
* Solicit: To ask for something, often a contribution or support.
Informal:
* Enquire: A more casual version of "inquire".
* Question: To ask a question, often with a challenging or skeptical tone.
* Demand: To ask for something forcefully or insistently.
* Beg: To ask for something earnestly and with humility.
* Plead: To make an earnest request, often with a sense of desperation.
* Wonder: To ask yourself a question out of curiosity.
Specific contexts:
* Seek: To try to find or obtain something.
* Demand: To ask for something that you believe you are entitled to.
* Challenge: To ask a question that is intended to test or provoke.
* Suggest: To put forward an idea or proposal for consideration.
* Propose: To suggest a plan or course of action.
The best synonym for "ask" will depend on the specific context and the intended meaning.