What does inquire mean?

Definitions for inquire
ɪnˈkwaɪərin·quire

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word inquire.

Princeton's WordNet

  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"

Wiktionary

  1. inquireverb

    To ask (about something).

  2. inquireverb

    To make an inquiry or an investigation.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. To Inquireverb

    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.

    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.

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

ChatGPT

  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 Dictionary

  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 Dictionary

  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. inquirĕrein, in, quærĕre, quæsitum, to seek.]

Editors Contribution

  1. inquire

    A desire to know.

    They did inquire about their neighbours as they cared.


    Submitted by MaryC on February 15, 2020  

Suggested Resources

  1. Inquire

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

Matched Categories

How to pronounce inquire?

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. Nathan M. Pusey:

    We live in a time of such rapid change and growth of knowledge that only he who is in a fundamental sense a scholar-that is, a person who continues to learn and inquire-can hope to keep pace, let alone play the role of guide.

  2. Arabic Proverb:

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

  3. Baba Faiz:

    I write those who seek, I write those who inquire and most importantly, I write those who love.

  4. Lindsey Graham:

    It is time for the Senate to inquire about corruption and other improprieties involving Ukraine, therefore I will offer to Mr. Giuliani the opportunity to come before the Senate Judiciary Committee to inform the committee of his concerns.

  5. 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.

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Translations for inquire

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"inquire." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/inquire>.

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