Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

inquiry

 - definition
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
noun British English pronunciation: inquiry /ɪnˈkwaɪəri/ 
Word Forms
Close
singularinquiry
pluralinquiries

Related dictionary definitions

  1. [countable] a question intended to get information about someone or something

    There have already been over 300 inquiries from people interested.

    inquiry about:

    Discreet inquiries about his business affairs revealed little.

    make inquiries (=ask questions):

    Police are making inquiries in the neighbourhood.

    be helping the police with their inquiries British (=be being questioned about a case, but not yet charged with a crime):

    A 27-year-old man is helping the police with their inquiries.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  inquiryThesaurus entry for this meaning of inquiry
    1. a.
      [countable] an official examination of a crime, accident, problem etc, in order to get information or the truth
      inquiry into:

      The public is demanding an inquiry into the incident.

      launch/hold/conduct an inquiry:

      The University will hold a disciplinary inquiry into the affair in May.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  inquiryThesaurus entry for this meaning of inquiry
    2. b.
      [uncountable] the process of asking about something or examining something in order to get more information
      inquiry into:

      Inquiry into a possible motive turned up nothing.

      a line of inquiry (=a particular subject about which you ask questions):

      There’s no need to pursue this line of inquiry any further.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  inquiryThesaurus entry for this meaning of inquiry

This is the British English definition of inquiry. View American English definition of inquiry.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

glottal stop

a sound made by stopping air as it passes through your throat. In some varieties of spoken...

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog