inquiry

Also en·quir·y

[in-kwahyuhr-ee, in-kwuh-ree]

noun

plural

inquiries 

1. a seeking or request for truth, information, or knowledge.

   Synonyms: exploration, scrutiny, study

2. an investigation, as into an incident.

   a Congressional inquiry into the bribery charges.

3. the act of inquiring or of seeking information by questioning; interrogation.

4. a question; query.

   Antonyms: reply, answer

inquiry

/ ɪnˈkwaɪərɪ /

noun

1. a request for information; a question

2. 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

Other Word Forms

• reinquiry noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of inquiry¹

First recorded in 1400–50; inquire + -y ³; replacing late Middle English enquery

Synonym Study

See investigation.

Example Sentences

The internal inquiry found evidence the emails had been sent from her laptop, South Yorkshire Police said, with Thompson in "significant debt through gambling".

From BBC

So, precedent suggests this latest inquiry will take around a week.

From BBC

Those affected were some of the country's poorest, and a landmark inquiry heard the scheme led to at least three suicides.

From BBC

Alan Garber, president of the college, said no government "should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue".

From BBC

The Walt Disney Co. has agreed to pay $10 million to settle a Federal Trade Commission inquiry into alleged violations of child privacy laws.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• analysis 
• audit 
• examination 
• hearing 
• inspection 
• interrogation 
• investigation 
• probe 
• query 
• question 
• questioning 
• request 
• research 
• scrutiny 
• search 
• study 
• survey 

When To Use

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.