inquire
Americanverb (used without object)
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to seek information by questioning; ask.
to inquire about a person.
- Synonyms:
- query, examine, investigate
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to make investigation (usually followed byinto ).
to inquire into the incident.
- Synonyms:
- query, examine, investigate
verb (used with object)
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to seek to learn by asking.
to inquire a person's name.
- Synonyms:
- query, examine, investigate
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Obsolete. to seek.
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Obsolete. to question (a person).
verb phrase
verb
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to seek information; ask
she inquired his age
she inquired about rates of pay
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(foll by of) to ask (a person) for information
I'll inquire of my aunt when she is coming
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to make a search or investigation
Usage
What's the difference between inquire and enquire? Inquire and enquire mean the same thing: to ask, to seek information, or to investigate. Enquire is a less common variant of inquire. Their noun forms—inquiry and enquiry—also have the same meanings: a question, an investigation, a request for information, or the process of seeking information. Both inquire and enquire are somewhat formal. Some speakers of British English may use both words, preferring inquire in contexts that are more formal. In the U. S., enquire is rarely used. Here’s an example of inquire used correctly in a sentence. Example: I’m calling to inquire about the open position. Enquire could be used in this sentence in the same exact way. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between inquire and enquire.
Related Words
Inquire, ask, question imply that a person addresses another to obtain information. Ask is the general word: to ask what time it is. Inquire is more formal and implies asking about something specific: to inquire about a rumor. To question implies repetition and persistence in asking; it often applies to legal examinationor investigation: to question the survivor of an accident. Sometimes it implies doubt: to question a figure, an account.
Other Word Forms
- inquirable adjective
- inquirer noun
- reinquire verb
- uninquired adjective
Etymology
Origin of inquire
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin inquīrere “to seek for” ( in- 2, query ); replacing Middle English enqueren, from Old French enquerre, from Latin, as above
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.
Or is the right limited to parents who inquire and object to being “shut out of participation in decisions involving their children’s mental health,” as the high court said in Mirabelli vs.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026
One recent morning, a client from Florida called Hubbard to inquire about a bomb shelter for 10 people.
From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026
Other questions inquire about gender and sex, with questions like, “What is the fundamental biological distinction between males and females?” and “Which chromosome pair determines biological sex in humans?”
From Salon • Nov. 5, 2025
And some creditors could have options that you wouldn’t know to inquire about specifically.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025
I recognized them as those of that night when my mother had ordered me home before I had had a chance to inquire how one got “money and all the food one could eat.”
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
