An inquiry initiated by a lender on a consumer's credit history for the purposes of approving a line of credit or other loan when a borrower fills out an application. This does not include inquiries made for the purpose of issuing pre-approved credit card offers to potential borrowers. Hard inquiries can negatively impact a credit score if too many are made in a short time frame. An excessive number of hard inquiries may indicate that the borrower is planning to take on more debt than he or she can reasonably service. Opposite of soft inquiry.