enquiry
Americannoun
plural
enquiriesUsage
What's the difference between enquiry and inquiry? Enquiry and inquiry have the same meanings: a question, an investigation, a request for information, or the process of seeking information. Enquiry is a less common variant of inquiry.Their verb forms—enquire and inquire—also mean the same thing: to ask, to seek information, or to investigate.Both enquiry and inquiry are somewhat formal, especially compared to similar terms like question or investigation. Some speakers of British English may use both words, preferring enquiry in contexts that are less formal. In the U.S., enquiry is rarely used.Here’s an example of enquiry used correctly in a sentence.Example: I forwarded you an email with an enquiry about the open position.Inquiry could be used in this sentence in the same exact way.Most of these same distinctions apply to the verbs enquire and inquire.To learn more about them, read the full breakdown of the difference between enquire and inquire.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There was agreement on the value of experimental enquiry, not on how to interpret the results.
From Literature
Elizabeth found the interest of the subject increase, and listened with all her heart; but the delicacy of it prevented further enquiry.
From Literature
In astronomy this is true; but in all the other fields of scientific enquiry the word consolidates a conceptual revolution.
From Literature
His enquiry into the prehistory of the idea of the circulation of the blood was the beginning of the history of science as a learned enterprise.
From Literature
But Mr. Gardiner could not be seen, and Mr. Darcy found, on further enquiry, that your father was still with him, but would quit town the next morning.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
