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, 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

Example Sentences

Australian snowboard veteran Scotty James says he intends to compete at a sixth Winter Olympics in 2030 after falling agonisingly short in his quest to win a first gold medal in Friday's men's halfpipe competition.

From Barron's

In my quest to prove that quintessentially Parisian experiences can be had without exorbitant fees, I went in search of affordable perfumery workshops.

From The Wall Street Journal

What follows is a quest narrative so carefully constructed and expertly paced that its grip tightens with each twist of the crime-laden plot.

From The Wall Street Journal

In our quest to catch the neighborhood porch pirate, we’ve inadvertently built a dragnet that catches much more.

From The Wall Street Journal

In “Borgen,” he portrayed a Greenlandic minister with piercing blue eyes who wants to use the income from a fictional new oil find to accelerate the island’s quest for independence.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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