phrases - Meaning of "ask of"


What is the meaning of the phrase ask of in the following sentence?



Trust and security are important for any application; before we move on to the meat of accessing data, let’s make sure the browser itself is capable of doing everything you’re asking of it.



It is extracted from a technical book.



Answer



This meaning of ask (definition 7) is mentioned in the OALD:



expect/demand
[transitive] to expect or demand something ...
ask something of somebody You're asking too much of him.



So, "doing everything you’re asking of it" means doing everything you expect or demand of it.


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