inquire

verb in·quire \ in-ˈkwī(-ə)r \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: inquire in a Sentence

Definition of inquire

inquired; inquiring

transitive verb

1 : to ask about

some kindred spirit shall inquire thy fate
—Thomas Gray

2 : to search into : investigate

intransitive verb

1 : to put a question : seek for information by questioning

inquired about the horses

2 : to make investigation or inquiry —often used with into

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inquirer

noun

—

inquiringly

play \in-ˈkwī-riŋ-lē\ adverb

— inquire after

: to ask about the health of

See inquire defined for English-language learners

See inquire defined for kids

Examples of inquire in a Sentence

When I inquired, they told me she was not here.
We inquired the way to the station.
“So, what do you want?” he inquired.

Recent Examples of inquire from the Web

All media inquires related to the incident which occurred near the campus should be directed to the Tehama County Sheriff.

— kellen browning, sacbee, "Red Bluff college campus evacuated. Gunman reportedly was killed by deputies nearby," 6 June 2018
The RailCats received several phones calls from Region residents originally from Japan inquiring about him.

— michael osipoff, Post-Tribune, "Coming to America: Former Japanese major-leaguer Yasutomo Kubo ready to join RailCats," 4 June 2018
By September of that year, Matthew Borgula, the Michigan attorney who was representing Nassar at the time, wrote to Himsel inquiring about the status of USA Gymnastics' investigation.

— marisa kwiatkowski, Indianapolis Star, "Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics’ cover story: 'Can we just say i am sick?'," 24 May 2018
Thank you to everyone inquiring about today’s dress!

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "Royal Wedding Guest Janina Gavankar Shares the Story Behind Her Striking Dress, and Details of the Intimate Evening Reception," 24 May 2018
The federal government inquiring about citizenship status could dissuade immigrants from participating, leading to a sizable undercount of the state's population.

— kaila white, azcentral, "Phoenix votes to sue feds over 2020 Census question on citizenship," 22 May 2018
In the report, Court Watch NOLA recommended municipal court judges inquire into a defendant's ability to pay.

— heather nolan, NOLA.com, "Defendants often plead guilty without attorneys present: Court Watch," 22 May 2018
For weeks, Arrigale's phone has buzzed with messages from reporters inquiring about the 6-foot, 180-pound Kentucky freshman guard.

— fletcher page, The Courier-Journal, "Even Quade Green's high school coach wonders if he'll transfer from Kentucky basketball," 19 Apr. 2018
Charles wrote to an aide, after a woman on his staff inquired about paths to promotion.

— lauren collins, The New Yorker, "Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and Royal Romance," 11 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inquire.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of inquire

Middle English enquiren, from Anglo-French enquerre, from Vulgar Latin *inquaerere, alteration of Latin inquirere, from in- + quaerere to seek

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year