inquiry
Americannoun
-
inquiries
plural
-
a seeking or request for truth, information, or knowledge.
- Synonyms:
- exploration, scrutiny, study
-
an investigation, as into an incident.
a Congressional inquiry into the bribery charges.
-
the act of inquiring or of seeking information by questioning; interrogation.
-
a question; query.
noun
-
a request for information; a question
-
an investigation, esp a formal one conducted into a matter of public concern by a body constituted for that purpose by a government, local authority, or other organization
Usage
What's the difference between inquiry and enquiry? Inquiry and enquiry 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—inquire and enquire—also mean the same thing: to ask, to seek information, or to investigate. Both inquiry and enquiry are somewhat formal, especially compared to similar terms like question or investigation. Some speakers of British English may use both words, preferring inquiry in contexts that are more formal. In the U. S., enquiry is rarely used. Here’s an example of inquiry used correctly in a sentence. Example: I forwarded you an email with an inquiry about the open position. Enquiry could be used in this sentence in the same exact way. Most of these same distinctions apply to the verbs inquire and enquire. To learn more about them, read the full breakdown of the difference between inquire and enquire.
Synonym Usage
See investigation.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of inquiry
First recorded in 1400–50; inquire + -y 3; replacing late Middle English enquery
Explanation
When you ask the guy behind the counter if they've got any aspirin, you're making an inquiry. Almost any search for information or knowledge is an inquiry, though an inquiry is often an official search. Though any question is, technically, an inquiry, that word is usually used to refer to an official or public search for the truth. For instance, after a plane crash, the government launches an inquiry into the cause. Politicians and government officials are often the ones who demand an inquiry when an important question needs to be answered, but a child can do the same thing. If your kid wants to know what's for dinner, she can make an inquiry about it. She can also just, y'know, ask.
Vocabulary lists containing inquiry
Think Like Sherlock: It's Elementary
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Home of the Brave
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Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
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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:
When I was pregnant with my daughter in 2016, I started getting at least one inquiry a week from friends and acquaintances who were also expecting.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
Dodgers president Stan Kasten says the team is not going to be sold amid financial difficulties of majority owner Mark Walter’s companies and a federal inquiry into his insurance empire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
"What began as legitimate journalistic inquiry into certain serious allegations grew into an internet pile-on," she wrote.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Amistad executives didn’t respond to requests for comment, and EquiTrust’s chief lawyer said EquiTrust is aware of reports of a federal inquiry involving TWG and it is monitoring the situation closely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Helen Burns asked some slight question about her work of Miss Smith, was chidden for the triviality of the inquiry, returned to her place, and smiled at me as she again went by.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Paul’s office sent the report to the vice president late Tuesday, according to people familiar with the process, following repeated inquiries from The Wall Street Journal about its status.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
U.S. prosecutors have no mandate to respond to Mexican inquiries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Spokespersons for all three did not respond to inquiries from the Tribune.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
"You can see it across all areas -- customer inquiries keep rising and rising," she said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
Greatly intrigued, I asked whether he had seen this illumination and sought its source, saying that this was a worthy object for the inquiries of philosophy.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
