Definitions for INQUIRE
ɪnˈkwaɪərin·quire

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. ask, inquire, enquireverb

   inquire about

   "I asked about their special today"; "He had to ask directions several times"

2. wonder, inquire, enquireverb

   have a wish or desire to know something

   "He wondered who had built this beautiful church"

3. investigate, inquire, enquireverb

   conduct an inquiry or investigation of

   "The district attorney's office investigated reports of possible irregularities"; "inquire into the disappearance of the rich old lady"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. inquireverb

   To ask (about something).

2. inquireverb

   To make an inquiry or an investigation.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To Inquireverb

   1. To ask about; to seek out: as, he inquired the way.2. To call; to name. Obsolete.

   Canute had his portion from the rest,
   The which he call'd Canutium, for his hire,
   Now Cantium, which Kent we commonly inquire. F. Qu.

2. To INQUIREverb

   Etymology: enquirer, French; inquiro, Latin.

   1. To ask questions; to make search; to exert curiosity on any occasion.

   You have oft inquir'd
   After the shepherd that complain'd of love. William Shakespeare.

   We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth. Gen.

   They began to inquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing. Lu. xxii. 23.

   Inquire for one Saul of Tarsus. Acts ix. 11.

   You sent Hadoram to king David, to inquire of his welfare. Chron. xviii. 10.

   It is a subject of a very noble inquiry, to inquire of the more subtile perceptions; for it is another key to open nature, as well as the house. Francis Bacon, Nat. Hist.

   It may deserve our best skill to inquire into those rules, by which we may guide our judgment. Robert South, Sermons.

   The step-dame poison for the son prepares;
   The son inquires into his father's years. Dryden.

   Under their grateful shade Æneas sat;
   His left young Pallas kept, fix'd to his side,
   And oft of winds inquir'd, and of the tide. John Dryden, Æn.

   They are more in danger to go out of the way, who are marching under a guide that will mislead them, than he that is likelier to be prevailed on to inquire after the rightway. John Locke.

   To those who inquired about me, my lover would answer, that I was an old dependent upon his family. Jonathan Swift.

   2. To make examination.

   Awful Rhadamanthus rules the state:
   He hears and judges each committed crime,
   Enquires into the manner, place, and time. John Dryden, Æn.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. inquire

   To inquire means to seek information by asking a question or series of questions, either verbally or in writing; it can also refer to conducting an investigation or examination on a particular matter.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Inquireverb

   to ask a question; to seek for truth or information by putting queries

2. Inquireverb

   to seek to learn anything by recourse to the proper means of knoledge; to make examination

3. Inquireverb

   to ask about; to seek to know by asking; to make examination or inquiry respecting

4. Inquireverb

   to call or name

5. Etymology: [OE. enqueren, inqueren, OF. enquerre, F. enqurir, L. inquirere, inquisitum; pref. in- in + quarere to seek. See Quest a seeking, and cf. Inquiry.]

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Inquire

   in-kwīr′, v.i. to ask a question: to make an investigation.—v.t. to ask about: to make an examination regarding: (Spens.) to call.—n. (Shak.) a seeking for information.—ns. Inquirā′tion (Dickens), inquiry; Inquiren′do (law), an authority to inquire; Inquir′er.—adj. Inquir′ing, given to inquiry.—adv. Inquir′ingly.—n. Inquir′y, act of inquiring: search for knowledge: investigation; a question.—Writ of inquiry, a writ appointing an inquest. [Fr.,—L. inquirĕre—in, in, quærĕre, quæsitum, to seek.]

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. inquire

   A desire to know.

   They did inquire about their neighbours as they cared.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on February 15, 2020  

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Inquire

   Enquire vs. Inquire -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Enquire and Inquire.

Matched Categories

1. • Examine

How to pronounce INQUIRE?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say INQUIRE in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of INQUIRE in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of INQUIRE in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of INQUIRE in a Sentence

1. Thornton:

   My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate--that's my philosophy.

2. Giovanni Boccaccio, Leitch, Vincent B. ed. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. New York: Norton, 2001.:

   You must read, you must persevere, you must sit up nights, you must inquire, and exert the utmost power of your mind. If one way does not lead to the desired meaning, take another; if obstacles arise, then still another; until, if your strength holds out, you will find that clear which at first looked dark.

3. Arabic Proverb:

   Inquire about your neighbour before you build, and about your companions before you travel.

4. Thornton Wilder:

   My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate -- that's my philosophy.

5. Justice Antonin Scalia:

   Sometimes people come up to me and inquire, 'Justice Scalia, when did you first become an originalist?' As though it's some weird affliction, you know, 'When did you start eating human flesh?'.

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References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=INQUIRE
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Inquire
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=INQUIRE
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/INQUIRE
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=INQUIRE