inquiry

/ˈɪŋkwəri/

/ɪnˈkwaɪəri/

Other forms: inquiries

When you ask the guy behind the counter if they've got any aspirin, you're making an inquiry. Almost any search for information or knowledge is an inquiry, though an inquiry is often an official search.

Though any question is, technically, an inquiry, that word is usually used to refer to an official or public search for the truth. For instance, after a plane crash, the government launches an inquiry into the cause. Politicians and government officials are often the ones who demand an inquiry when an important question needs to be answered, but a child can do the same thing. If your kid wants to know what's for dinner, she can make an inquiry about it. She can also just, y'know, ask.

Definitions of inquiry

1. noun

   an instance of questioning
   “we made inquiries of all those who were present”

   synonyms: enquiry, interrogation, query, question

   type of:

   inquiring, questioning

   a request for information
2. noun

   a search for knowledge
   synonyms: enquiry, research

   types:

   nature study

   the study of animals and plants in the natural world (usually at an elementary level)

   experiment, experimentation

   the testing of an idea

   empirical research

   an empirical search for knowledge

   investigation, probe

   an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities

   canvass, opinion poll, poll, public opinion poll, survey

   an inquiry into public opinion conducted by interviewing a random sample of people

   heraldry

   the study and classification of armorial bearings and the tracing of genealogies

   pilot experiment

   a preliminary experiment whose outcome can lead to a more extensive experiment

   test, trial, trial run, tryout

   trying something to find out about it

   fishing expedition

   an investigation undertaken in the hope (but not the stated purpose) of discovering information

   exit poll

   a poll of voters as they leave the voting place; usually taken by news media in order to predict the outcome of an election

   straw poll, straw vote

   an unofficial vote taken to determine opinion on some issue

   type of:

   problem solving

   the thought processes involved in solving a problem
3. noun

   a systematic investigation of a matter of public interest
   synonyms: enquiry

   types:

   means test

   an inquiry into the financial position of someone applying for financial aid

   inquest

   an inquiry into the cause of an unexpected death

   type of:

   investigating, investigation

   the work of inquiring into something thoroughly and systematically