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View synonyms for quest

quest

[ kwest ]

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, pursuit, hunt, search

  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.


verb (used without object)

  1. to search; seek (often followed by for or after ):

    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

/ 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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


verb

  1. foll byfor or after to go in search (of)
  2. to go on a quest
  3. of gun dogs or hounds
    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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈquester, noun
  • ˈquestingly, adverb
  • ˈquesting, adjective
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Other Words From

  • quester noun
  • questing·ly adverb
  • un·quested adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of quest1

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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of quest1

C14: from Old French queste, from Latin quaesita sought, from quaerere to seek
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Idioms and Phrases

see under in search of .
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Example Sentences

Nobody should have to face repression in their quest for freedom.

This has also led DeFi traders to hop around to different exchanges in their yield farming quest, sometimes with disastrous results.

From Fortune

This heartwarming documentary follows the life of Saskatchewan-born model Ashley Luther, aka Elly Mayday, and her quest to champion the body positivity movement in an industry that really didn’t want to hear it.

From Ozy

The last thing that most people would do is call poker, with its competition, its winners and losers, its quest to gain the maximum edge over your opponent, a haven of safety.

Powered by this strong financial incentive, the quest for automation is growing ever more pervasive.

Our quest for better leaders—“Change we can believe in”— is wishful thinking.

In our headlong quest for a legally perfect society, we don’t take the time to take stock of what‘s been created so far.

Hammerstein continued his subtle quest for racial equanimity in Oklahoma!

But sometimes, the quest for facts lets us down, or leads us astray, and leaves us worse off than before, not better.

She began her quest for equal rights shortly after her three-month sentence.

They had searched Mortlake House for Alice, and that vain quest had not wasted more than half-an-hour.

There he stood still for a few seconds and looked around him as if in quest of something.

He was sent from one place to another, in quest of his friend, and made diligent use of his long legs, but without success.

In this quest many paintings, sculptures, and inscriptions were destroyed or defaced of which no record has been preserved.

The Englishman went to see how big the tiger was while I led Kari in quest of my broken flute.

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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.

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