from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
intransitive verb To seek information by asking a question.
intransitive verb To make an inquiry or investigation.
intransitive verb To ask, especially politely or formally: synonym: ask.
intransitive verb To ask questions about (something); investigate or analyze.
from The Century Dictionary.
noun Inquiry; search; investigation.
To search for; seek out; make investigation concerning.
To ask about (a thing or person); seek knowledge of by asking.
To call; name.
To ask of; question.
SynonymsAsk, Inquire, Question, etc. See ask.
To seek for knowledge or information; make inquisition or investigation; use means for discovering or learning something.
To ask for information; seek knowledge of something by asking a question or questions: as, I will inquire about it.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
transitive verb To ask about; to seek to know by asking; to make examination or inquiry respecting.
transitive verb obsolete To call or name.
intransitive verb To ask a question; to seek for truth or information by putting queries.
intransitive verb To seek to learn anything by recourse to the proper means of knowledge; to make examination.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
verb US To ask (about something).
verb To make an inquiry or an investigation.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
verb have a wish or desire to know something
verb conduct an inquiry or investigation of
verb inquire about
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[Middle English enquiren, from Old French enquerre, from Vulgar Latin *inquaerere, alteration of Latin inquīrere : in-, into; see in– + quaerere, to seek.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From Latin inquīrō ("to seek for"). Displaced Middle English enqueren (from Old French enquerre, of the same source) and native Old English speir ("ask, inquire").
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word inquire.
Examples
Any knowledge that I inquire is from the limited public sources that the APD can't suppress or intimidate.
Under the authority of this analogy we may be permitted to inquire, which is the grandest display of the Divine power, — the creation of natural or of spiritual light?
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.