INQUIRE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does inquire mean? 

• INQUIRE (verb)
  The verb INQUIRE has 3 senses:

1. address a question to and expect an answer from

2. have a wish or desire to know something

3. conduct an inquiry or investigation of

  Familiarity information: INQUIRE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• INQUIRE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they inquire    ... he / she / it inquires   
Past simple: inquired   
Past participle: inquired   
-ing form: inquiring   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Address a question to and expect an answer from

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

ask; enquire; inquire

Context example:

He had to ask directions several times

Hypernyms (to "inquire" is one way to...):

communicate; intercommunicate (transmit thoughts or feelings)

Verb group:

ask (direct or put; seek an answer to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "inquire"):

pry (be nosey)

query; question (pose a question)

interrogate; question (pose a series of questions to)

confer with; consult (get or ask advice from)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody something
Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s PP
Somebody ----s whether INFINITIVE

Sentence example:

They inquire whether there was a traffic accident

Derivation:

inquirer (someone who asks a question)

inquiring (a request for information)

inquiry (an instance of questioning)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Have a wish or desire to know something

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

enquire; inquire; wonder

Context example:

He wondered who had built this beautiful church

Hypernyms (to "inquire" is one way to...):

query; question (pose a question)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "inquire"):

request (inquire for (information))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s whether INFINITIVE

Derivation:

inquisitive (showing curiosity)

inquisitive (inquiring or appearing to inquire)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Conduct an inquiry or investigation of

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

enquire; inquire; investigate

Context example:

inquire into the disappearance of the rich old lady

Hypernyms (to "inquire" is one way to...):

examine; probe (question or examine thoroughly and closely)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "inquire"):

spy (secretly collect sensitive or classified information; engage in espionage)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

inquiring (a request for information)

inquiry (a systematic investigation of a matter of public interest)

inquisitive (inquiring or appearing to inquire)

 Context examples 

When we arrived at the residence of the European Secretary it was for Lady Hilda Trelawney Hope that Sherlock Holmes inquired.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"Adele," I inquired, "with whom did you live when you were in that pretty clean town you spoke of?"

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Percy has been inquiring for you all morning.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"What makes you think so?" Mrs. Morse had inquired.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

“All the way where?” inquired the carrier.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

From him we inquire of the goings of the Czarina Catherine.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

"Who are the Munchkins?" inquired Dorothy.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

It would not be fair to inquire into a young lady's exact estimate of her own perfections.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

I then inquired as to the vessels which lay at present in the port of London.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The seamen soon knew whence I came last: they were curious to inquire into my voyages and course of life.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)