quest
Americannoun
-
quests
plural
-
a search or pursuit made in order to find or obtain something.
a quest for uranium mines;
a quest for knowledge.
-
Classical and Medieval Legend. an adventurous expedition undertaken by a knight or knights to secure or achieve something.
the quest of the Holy Grail.
-
those engaged in such an expedition.
-
British Dialect. inquest.
-
Obsolete. a jury of inquest.
verb (used without object)
-
quests,
present (3rd person singular)
-
quested,
past participle, past
-
questing
present participle
-
to search; seek (often followed by for orafter ).
to quest after hidden treasure.
-
to go on a quest.
-
Hunting. (of a dog)
-
to search for game.
-
to bay or give tongue in pursuit of game.
-
verb (used with object)
-
quests,
present (3rd person singular)
-
quested,
past participle, past
-
questing
present participle
noun
-
the act or an instance of looking for or seeking; search
a quest for diamonds
-
(in medieval romance) an expedition by a knight or company of knights to accomplish some prescribed task, such as finding the Holy Grail
-
the object of a search; goal or target
my quest is the treasure of the king
-
rare a collection of alms
verb
-
to go in search (of)
-
to go on a quest
-
-
to search for game
-
to bay when in pursuit of game
-
-
rare to collect alms
-
archaic (also tr) to go in search of (a thing); seek or pursue
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
questsimple
-
questssimple
-
have questedperfect
-
has questedperfect
-
am questingprogressive
-
are questingprogressive
-
is questingprogressive
-
have been questingperfect progressive
-
has been questingperfect progressive
Past
-
questedsimple
-
had questedperfect
-
was questingprogressive
-
were questingprogressive
-
had been questingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing quest
Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Freak the Mighty
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"What Is the Horror Genre?" Vocabulary from the literary criticism
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
England's netballers were beaten 68-50 by world number one side Australia in their quest to win bronze at the Commonwealth Games.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
Ohtani always has put winning first, but he also began the season openly acknowledging his quest for a Cy Young Award.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
The millions of devotees who take Johnson’s quest for immortality seriously may have better understood what was going on here.
From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026
Adeyemi’s novels, inspired by West African mythology, follow the adventures of Zélie, played by Thuso Mbedu, on her quest to restore magic to the kingdom of Orïsha.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
She couldn’t believe her only role in this quest would be what Nico had warned her of—removing the obstacle waiting for them in the House of Hades.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Caleb said he had a habit of going on "strange side quests" but this was "probably the most out there of the lot".
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
“I’ve long had a vision of a big open-world game where you drive for hours in a random direction, and it creates new cities with new quests and architecture styles,” Togelius said.
From MarketWatch ● May 23, 2026
If you want to avoid traffic or you’re looking for some off-site adventures during Stagecoach, check out these 14 fun desert side quests.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
It also follows reports that OpenAI's applications chief, Fidji Simo, told staff this month that they could not be distracted by "side quests," outlining a push toward agentic AI capabilities.
From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026
Maybe it would have meant standing around in armor and going on dull quests.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
But the University of Liverpool academic tells Radio 1 Newsbeat that's "possible but highly improbable", as anyone who's quested for that final, obscure sticker will know.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2022
As for Bimini, it’s the name of a Bahamian island chain and the supposed site of the mythic Fountain of Youth quested after by Ponce de Leon, the early 16th century Spanish explorer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2021
A few days ago in a galaxy not so far away, an estimated 65,000 “Star Wars” fans from across the globe quested their way to the biggest convention center in the United States.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2019
Don’t call me evil—or “toxic”—because I’ve never quested after the liquid sublime.
From Slate ● Nov. 20, 2013
He quested down along the rim of the door, sinking deeper, reading its outline.
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
The Irish Times describes it as a "an endearingly honest, questing record about friendship, faith, art, meaning and, appropriately for Easter, death and the possibility of rebirth".
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026
There he encountered climbers questing to conquer the Seven Summits—the highest mountain peaks on each continent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
A long-time proponent of independence for his Flemish-speaking region, he would be loath to relinquish the post of prime minister after years of questing for the top job.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2025
The more elaborate the setup, the more active the crabs become, climbing, crawling, and exploring with their endlessly questing antennae.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2025
"That's the one," said the little hairy man, his head questing from side to side as if he were preoccupied, or a little nervous.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
