quest

American  

[kwest] / kwɛst /

noun

1. a search or pursuit made in order to find or obtain something.

   a quest for uranium mines;

   a quest for knowledge.

   Synonyms:

   undertaking, mission, journey, search, pursuit, hunt

2. Classical and Medieval Legend. an adventurous expedition undertaken by a knight or knights to secure or achieve something.

   the quest of the Holy Grail.

3. those engaged in such an expedition.

4. British Dialect. inquest.

5. Obsolete. a jury of inquest.

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verb (used without object)

1. to search; seek (often followed by for orafter ).

   to quest after hidden treasure.

2. to go on a quest.

3. Hunting. (of a dog)

   1. to search for game.

   2. to bay or give tongue in pursuit of game.

verb (used with object)

1. to search or seek for; pursue.

quest British  

/ kwɛst /

noun

1. the act or an instance of looking for or seeking; search

   a quest for diamonds

2. (in medieval romance) an expedition by a knight or company of knights to accomplish some prescribed task, such as finding the Holy Grail

3. the object of a search; goal or target

   my quest is the treasure of the king

4. rare a collection of alms

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verb

1. to go in search (of)

2. to go on a quest

3. 1. to search for game

   2. to bay when in pursuit of game

4. rare to collect alms

5. archaic (also tr) to go in search of (a thing); seek or pursue

quest Idioms  

1. see under in search of.

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Other Word Forms

• quester
  noun
• questing
  adjective
• questingly
  adverb
• unquested
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of quest

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English noun queste, from Old French, from Latin quaesīta, feminine past participle of quaerere “to seek”; Middle English verb derivative of the noun

Explanation

A quest is all about seeking something important, and it often involves a journey. You would travel the world in a quest for gold. You would not travel to the front of the lunchroom in a quest for tater tots. Knights in the Middle Ages were forever taking on quests––most famously to find the Holy Grail. In modern times, you can quest without ever leaving home, thanks to the Internet. A scientist might embark on a quest to find the cure for cancer. A detective might quest for the truth.

Example Sentences

The company didn’t position its Quest brand, for example, to successfully compete in a super-competitive protein bar category, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Midtier options like the Explorer and Quest cards, which carry annual fees of $150 and $350, respectively, pay for themselves quickly for frequent flyers, Rossman noted.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 19, 2026

Since then, the two largest laboratory companies, Quest Diagnostics and Labcorp, have begun offering it.

From Science Daily • Jan. 21, 2026

Meta’s Quest headsets were still clunky, and the software looked half-baked.

From Barron's • Jan. 16, 2026

Anorak’s Quest was an adventure game set in Chthonia, the fantasy world Halliday had created for his high-school Dungeons & Dragons campaign.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Related Words

• adventure
• chase
• crusade
• expedition
• exploration
• hunt
• inquiry
• investigation
• journey
• pilgrimage
• probe
• pursuit
• research
• search