"Said" Is So Last Season: Instead of "Said": Words for Asking and Offering

Are you craving just the right word to express how someone is expressing their needs, or suggesting their ideas? Ask and you shall receive! We suggest learning these terms that will come in handy when you're writing the most demanding dialogue.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. beseech
    ask for or request earnestly
    “I want someone to tell me,” Lieutenant Scheisskopf beseeched them all prayerfully. Catch-22
  2. crave
    plead or ask for earnestly
    Lord knows after thirty years I still crave your forgiveness, but who are you? The Poisonwood Bible
  3. entreat
    ask for or request earnestly
    “Promise you won’t force me into a suitable marriage,” his daughter entreats, “like you were forced.” New York Times (Jan 25, 2015)
  4. implore
    beg or request earnestly and urgently
    “Guilty of what?” implored the chaplain, feeling more and more bewildered and not knowing which of the men to appeal to for mercy. Catch-22
  5. importune
    beg persistently and urgently
    “Rob, this is Helen at Base Camp,” Wilton importuned, sounding as if she was on the brink of tears. Into Thin Air
  6. inquire
    ask about
    “Now what?” inquired Mr. Popper of Captain Cook. Mr. Popper's Penguins
  7. interrogate
    pose a series of questions to
    “Did you dare say that, sir?” interrogated the captain, very angrily. Marryat, Frederick
  8. petition
    request formally and in writing
    In vain we petitioned Magistus to let us live with our aunt, or to let us visit her oftener, or to let us stay longer. Holcombe, William Henry
  9. plead
    appeal or request earnestly
    “Ma, please,” our grandmother pleaded, but Ma Charles was determined to tell her family history, so Big Ma’s pleas turned to anger. Gone Crazy in Alabama
  10. pray
    entreat or beg
    Please don't let me be too late! he silently prayed. Forged by Fire
  11. propose
    declare a plan for something
    “Mr. Chairman, this boy’s obviously going to be a musician, he slept until twelve- thirty today, so I propose that we call him Sleepy.” Bud, Not Buddy
  12. query
    pose a question
    “You mean it adapted itself to the fly swatter?” queried Phineas. A Separate Peace
  13. solicit
    request urgently or persistently
    In our writing symposium, entitled “Fighting Intolerance,” we solicited help from some of our literary idols. The Freedom Writers Diary
  14. suggest
    make a proposal; declare a plan for something
    “Maybe I ought to get a license for him,” suggested Mr. Popper. Mr. Popper's Penguins
  15. supplicate
    ask humbly for something
    “Brain,” she supplicated faintly, “Brain, do you hear me?” I, Robot
Created on Thu Oct 17 16:58:50 EDT 2019 (updated Thu Nov 14 08:24:28 EST 2019)

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