quest
Americannoun
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quests
plural
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a search or pursuit made in order to find or obtain something.
a quest for uranium mines;
a quest for knowledge.
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Classical and Medieval Legend. an adventurous expedition undertaken by a knight or knights to secure or achieve something.
the quest of the Holy Grail.
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those engaged in such an expedition.
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British Dialect. inquest.
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Obsolete. a jury of inquest.
verb (used without object)
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quests,
present (3rd person singular)
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quested,
past participle, past
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questing
present participle
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to search; seek (often followed by for orafter ).
to quest after hidden treasure.
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to go on a quest.
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Hunting. (of a dog)
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to search for game.
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to bay or give tongue in pursuit of game.
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verb (used with object)
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quests,
present (3rd person singular)
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quested,
past participle, past
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questing
present participle
noun
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the act or an instance of looking for or seeking; search
a quest for diamonds
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(in medieval romance) an expedition by a knight or company of knights to accomplish some prescribed task, such as finding the Holy Grail
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the object of a search; goal or target
my quest is the treasure of the king
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rare a collection of alms
verb
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to go in search (of)
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to go on a quest
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to search for game
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to bay when in pursuit of game
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rare to collect alms
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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
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questsimple
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questssimple
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have questedperfect
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has questedperfect
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am questingprogressive
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are questingprogressive
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is questingprogressive
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have been questingperfect progressive
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has been questingperfect progressive
Past
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questedsimple
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had questedperfect
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was questingprogressive
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were questingprogressive
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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
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Freak the Mighty
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"What Is the Horror Genre?" Vocabulary from the literary criticism
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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
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
But in their quest for relief, they’ve found massive, dangerous waves and strong currents fueled by tropical cyclones from the eastern Pacific Ocean, according to the National Weather Service.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
“Do you believe yourself to be cured?” she croaked; indeed, for a moment she wondered if Edward Ashton had somehow already succeeded in his quest.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
To add to his side quests, KSI recently bought a minority stake in Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club and is a judge on Britain's Got Talent.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 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
But public investors eventually will, and they’ll look elsewhere for profitable side quests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026
Which I don't mention to Freak because he's very sensitive about knights and quests and secret meanings.
From "Freak The Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick
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
A red squirrel quested, hesitating a little, into the firelight.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
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
We had come down the short flight of stairs, and she opened another door, standing aside for me to pass through, her dark eyes questing my face.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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.
