Meanings
present singular third person inquires · participle present inquiring · participle past inquired · past inquired · alternative UK enquire
- AustraliaCanadaUSambitransitiveintransitiveTo ask (about something).
May I inquire to whom I have the honor of speaking?
1 more example
"A fine man, that Dunwody, yonder," commented the young captain, as they parted, and as he turned to his prisoner. "We'll see him on in Washington some day.[…]A strong man—a strong one; and a heedless." ¶ "Of what party is he?" she inquired, as though casually.
1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC - ambitransitiveintransitiveTo make an inquiry or an investigation.
Police are already inquiring into the incident.
1 more example
It is these people, gentlemen, the disseminators of these rumours, who are my dangerous accusers; because those who hear them suppose that anyone who inquires into such matters must be an atheist.
1954, Plato, translated by Hugh Tredennick, “Socrates on Trial: The Apology”, in The Last Days of Socrates (Penguin Classics), Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books, →OCLC, page 20 - ambitransitiveobsoletetransitiveTo call; to name.
Canute had his portion from the rest, The which he cald Canutium, for his hyre, Now Cantium, which Kent we commenly inquire.
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 12
Synonyms & antonyms
verbaddress a question to and expect an answer from
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*kʷeh₂-“to acquire”
- Proto-Italic*kʷaizeō
- Latininquīrō“to seek for”
- Englishinquire
From Latin inquīrō (“to seek for”), composed of in- (“in, at, on; into”) + quaerō (“to seek, look for”), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Italic *kʷaizeō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- (“to acquire”). Displaced Middle English enqueren (from Old French enquerre, of the same source) and native Middle English speir (“ask, inquire”).
More words from Latin, Proto-Italic, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic اِسْتَعْلَمَ, سَأَلَ
- اِسْتَعْلَمَ (istaʕlama)to ask about something
- سَأَلَ (saʔala)to ask about something
Basque iker
- ikerto ask about something
Bulgarian разпи́твам, интересу́вам се
- разпи́твам (razpítvam)to ask about something
- интересу́вам се (interesúvam se)to ask about something
- разпитяам (razpitjaam)to make an enquiry
Chinese Mandarin 詢問 /询问, 打聽 /打听
- 詢問 /询问 (xúnwèn)to ask about something
- 打聽 /打听 (dǎting)to ask about something
Esperanto demandi
- demandito ask about something
Finnish kysyä, tiedustella
- kysyäto ask about something
- tiedustellato ask about something
- kyselläto ask about something
- tiedustellato make an enquiry
French enquêter, se renseigner
- enquêterto ask about something
- se renseignerto ask about something
German sich erkundigen, nachfragen
- sich erkundigento ask about something
- nachfragento ask about something
- inquirierento ask about something
- nachforschento make an enquiry
Hebrew שָׁאַל)
- שָׁאַל) (sha'ál)to ask about something
Hungarian érdeklődik, tudakozódik
- érdeklődikto ask about something
- tudakozódikto ask about something
- kérdezősködikto ask about something
Irish fiafraigh, fiosraigh
- fiafraighto ask about something
- fiosraighto ask about something
Japanese 問い合わせる, 尋ねる
- 問い合わせる (toiawaseru)to ask about something
- 尋ねる (tazuneru)to ask about something
- 訊く (kiku)to ask about something
- 聞く (kiku)to ask about something
Latin scisco, sciscitor
- sciscoto ask about something
- sciscitorto ask about something
- scitorto ask about something
Māori pakirehua, whakaui
- pakirehuato ask about something
- whakauito make an enquiry
- urupounamuto make an enquiry
- pakirehuato make an enquiry
Norwegian Bokmål spørre, forespørre
- spørreto ask about something
- forespørreto ask about something
Portuguese inquirir
- inquirirto ask about something
Romanian investiga, cerceta
- investigato ask about something
- cercetato ask about something
Russian спра́шивать, справля́ться
- спра́шивать (sprášivatʹ)to ask about something
- справля́ться (spravljátʹsja)to ask about something
Scottish Gaelic faighnich, faighnich
- faighnichto ask about something
- faighnichto make an enquiry
Spanish investigar, informarse
- investigarto ask about something
- informarseto ask about something
- inquirirto ask about something
- inquerir (disused)to ask about something
- consultarto make an enquiry
- preguntarto make an enquiry
- inquirirto make an enquiry
- inquerir (disused)to make an enquiry
Swedish fråga, höra sig för
- frågato ask about something
- höra sig förto ask about something
Thai สอบถาม
- สอบถาม (sɔ̀ɔp-tǎam)to ask about something
Ukrainian питати, довідуватися
- питати (pytaty)to ask about something
- довідуватися (doviduvatysja)to ask about something
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with inquire
Cite this entry
inquire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inquire
“inquire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inquire. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “inquire,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inquire.
Source: inquire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.