An inquiry is a search for information or truth through questions and investigation. When you conduct an inquiry into why your houseplant keeps wilting, you're gathering clues: checking the soil moisture, examining the leaves, researching what that plant species needs. When a detective makes inquiries about a crime, she's asking questions and following leads to discover what really happened.

The word suggests a methodical, thoughtful approach rather than wild guessing. Scientific inquiry follows careful steps: observing, asking questions, forming hypotheses, testing them, and drawing conclusions. A teacher might encourage inquiry-based learning, where students explore questions through their own investigations instead of just memorizing facts from textbooks.

You can also use inquiry to mean a single question or request for information. If someone sends an inquiry about piano lessons, they're asking about availability and cost. Formal investigations often get called inquiries too: a government might launch an inquiry into what caused a bridge collapse.

The verb form is inquire: “I'd like to inquire about joining the chess club.” An inquisitive person asks lots of questions, always curious to learn more. Notice that an inquiry isn't about having the right answer immediately; it's about having the curiosity and persistence to find it.