Glossary · Defined term
Ask price
The ask price is the lowest price sellers will currently accept for a security, and it is the price buyers pay for an immediate fill.
Last updated Oct 2, 2026
What it means
The ask price, also called the offer price, is the lowest price at which sellers are currently willing to sell a security. When you place a market order to buy, your order fills at the ask. It is one half of every stock quote; the other half is the bid, the highest price buyers are currently willing to pay.
The gap between the bid and the ask is the bid-ask spread, which is effectively the cost of trading instantly. In liquid stocks the ask sits very close to the bid, so the cost of immediacy is small. In thinly traded stocks the ask can sit far above the bid, which punishes impatient buyers.
Ask prices move constantly during market hours as orders are placed, filled, and cancelled. Watching how the ask shifts after news or large trades is one way traders read supply and demand: a rising ask suggests sellers are growing reluctant, while a falling ask suggests eager selling.
An example
For illustration, a quote shows a bid of $50.00 and an ask of $50.10. A market buy order fills at the ask, $50.10. If new sell orders arrive and the ask drops to $50.02, the next market buyer pays that lower price instead.