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:
She denies wrongdoing, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation questioned the veracity of the felon’s account and closed its inquiry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
What began with one unusually large crayfish and a disagreement between colleagues has now opened a new line of scientific inquiry into the biological factors that shape the size of these familiar freshwater creatures.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
The committee could call forward witnesses, such as current Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig, to give evidence as part of the inquiry.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Alan Pughsley, expert to the public inquiry, has heavily criticised the lack of resources provided to Operation Northmoor and called the decision to close it "premature and inappropriate".
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
This type of inquiry is what your usual reasoning takes care of.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
Automation enables "inquiries that were not previously possible; it transforms the conditions of research."
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Its advice team recorded a 43% rise in inquiries about garden fungi following the 2025 drought, compared with the previous year.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
SK hynix said in a statement sent to AFP it was "taking various measures to more objectively identify the characteristics of disease occurrence" and was fully cooperating with government inquiries.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
A 19-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the disturbance and released pending further inquiries.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
They couldn’t bring him home because there was a problem with the paperwork, and the police in the village “were not responding to inquiries from the United States Embassy.”
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
