enquire

IPA/ɪnˈkwaɪə(r)/
KK[ɪnkwˈaɪɚ]IPA/ɪnˈkwaɪər/

enquire — verb

  • enquirepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • enquireshe / she / it
  • enquiredpast simple
  • enquiring-ing form

1. to ask someone for information on a particular topic — for example, asking at a

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to ask someone for information on a particular topic — for example, asking at a hotel about room availability, or writing to a college to find out about course entry requirements.

Example

Rachid called the library to enquire about the opening hours.

enquire + about + noun phrase

Sumin wrote an email to enquire whether the art course still had places available.

enquire + whether + clause

Common collocations
  • enquire about prices
  • enquire after someone's health
  • enquire into a matter
  • enquire within (signage)
Synonyms
  • ask

    Everyday, neutral word; enquire is slightly more formal and more typical in written or professional contexts.

  • query

    Suggests questioning a specific detail or checking correctness, e.g., querying a bill or a figure.

  • investigate

    Much stronger in depth; implies a systematic examination (enquire into covers a lighter version of this).

Antonyms
  • answer

    Answer is the response to an enquiry, not the act of asking.

  • ignore

    To ignore a topic is to make no effort to ask about it.

Grammar Patterns

enquire + about + noun phrase

enquire + whether/if + clause

enquire + after + someone (wellbeing)

enquire + into + noun phrase (formal investigation)

Usage Note

Enquire is the standard British English spelling; American English prefers inquire. Within British English, some writers use enquire for everyday asking (e.g., 'enquire about train times') and inquire for formal investigations (e.g., 'inquire into a crime'), though many use them interchangeably. The noun forms follow the same pattern: enquiry (BrE) and inquiry (AmE, or BrE formal).

Common Mistakes

I need to enquire you about the train schedule.
I need to enquire about the train schedule.
Enquire is intransitive; you cannot enquire somebody directly. Use ask somebody or enquire of somebody (formal).
The police will enquire the robbery.
The police will investigate the robbery.' or ✅ 'The police will enquire into the robbery.
For a formal investigation, enquire into (+ preposition) or investigate is required.
Phrasal verbs

enquire after

phrasal verb

To ask for information about someone's health or well-being.

Maya called her grandmother to enquire after her health.

Did you enquire after Tom's recovery from his surgery?

enquire into

phrasal verb

To try to discover the facts about something by asking questions.

The committee will enquire into the cause of the accident.

A journalist is enquiring into the company's financial records.

enquire of

phrasal verb

To ask someone for information.

I need to enquire of the manager about the refund policy.

She enquired of her neighbor whether the train had arrived.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

These three words form a scale of formality and depth. Ask is the everyday neutral term — you ask a friend for the time or ask a colleague about a meeting. Query steps up in formality and narrows in scope: it implies checking a particular detail or seeking confirmation, often in writing ('I queried the invoice total'). Enquire sits between the two — it is more formal than ask but broader than query, fitting professional correspondence, travel information, or polite requests. Investigate is far heavier, implying a structured search for facts, usually with an authority or official mandate. For example: you ask a hotel about check-in time, enquire about room rates by email, query a charge on your bill, and let the police investigate a theft.

ask ↗query ↗investigate ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • enquire about availability
  • enquire about prices
  • enquire about details
  • enquire about the cost

Adverbs

  • politely enquire
  • further enquire
  • specifically enquire
  • formally enquire

Phrases

  • enquire within
  • enquire further
  • enquire whether / if
  • enquire as to

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Middle English enqueren, via Old French enquerre, from Latin inquirere — combining in- 'into' + quaerere 'to seek, to ask'. The Latin root quaerere also gives us query, question, and quest. The en- spelling was the dominant form in Middle English and remains the standard British variant today, while the Latinised in- spelling (inquire) gained ground in American English during the 19th century spelling reforms.