inquire
Americanverb (used without object)
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inquires,
present (3rd person singular)
-
inquired,
past participle, past
-
inquiring
present participle
-
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)
-
inquires,
present (3rd person singular)
-
inquired,
past participle, past
-
inquiring
present participle
-
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.
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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inquiresimple
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inquiressimple
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have inquiredperfect
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has inquiredperfect
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am inquiringprogressive
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are inquiringprogressive
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is inquiringprogressive
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have been inquiringperfect progressive
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has been inquiringperfect progressive
Past
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inquiredsimple
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had inquiredperfect
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was inquiringprogressive
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were inquiringprogressive
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had been inquiringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of inquire
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin inquīrere “to seek for” ( see in- 2, query); replacing Middle English enqueren, from Old French enquerre, from Latin, as above
Explanation
The verb inquire means "to ask for information." If you wonder about how the world began, you inquire about its origin. Inquire comes from the Latin combination of words in, meaning "into" and quærere, meaning "ask, seek." When you inquire, you look into something. You might ask a question, like inquiring if the bakery is hiring any cake decorators. Inquire can also mean "to conduct an investigation." No matter how you do it, when you inquire, you seek answers.
Vocabulary lists containing inquire
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Instead of "Said": Words for Asking and Offering
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"Working Toward Peace," Vocabulary from the personal essay
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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.
See Examples For:
After ProPublica shared the findings of its investigation and the names of veterans who would appear in it, the agency reached out to several to inquire about their care and offer help.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
There are three documents Brooks suggest you inquire about:
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
It was only reinstated, she said, after she contacted a reporter who then reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to inquire about the revocation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Sir Keir dismissed the suggestion he should have done more to inquire about the outcome of Lord Mandelson's vetting process.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026
This is difficult because there exists, all around us, an apparatus urging us to accept American innocence at face value and not to inquire too much.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
“I’m not supposed to dance, right? Where exactly do I stand?” he inquires nervously.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
He did not immediately respond to additional inquires about Weinstein’s condition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
“Are these the last days?” a village priest inquires.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
Melania inquires about what Macron has done to curb bullying and anxiety among French youth.
From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2026
He inquires as to when what is referred to only as his challenge will begin.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Last March, when Deters inquired about when she would move to Greece, Guilfoyle told him to stop asking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The meeting cancellation came after The Times inquired with the district about the bidding process.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
"What happened is to be inquired, where the hospital lacked facilities."
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Clubs in the Premier League and overseas have inquired about Rashford and will surely continue to do so until the transfer window closes on 1 September.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
His uneasiness at my reply led me to suspect that, had she had the scars he inquired after, the proof of her nobility might have been made more sure.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
While doing the steps myself, I noticed participants regularly inviting curious, inquiring beachgoers to join in the following weekend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
His constant filming, and his inquiring questions, aroused suspicions.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Walter had sold the Lakers after less than one year of ownership ratified by the NBA board of governors — and not through a comprehensive bidding process, but to an inquiring caller during the weekend?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Inman-Grant said her agency had begun inquiring what Telegram was doing to combat terrorist and extremist material in March 2024, and had endured "five very difficult months of unresponsiveness".
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
I thanked them cordially, they meanwhile inquiring in their seventeenth-century English accents about my condition most solicitously.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
