side quest
Americannoun
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a quest or objective in a story or video game that is related to but not directly part of the main storyline or objective.
-
a secondary objective or pursuit.
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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.
“Supergirl” is a side quest, an alternate story mode that one could unlock by beating the final boss in a “Superman” video game.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
At one point these diminutive, muttering, bewhiskered mechanics accompany Grogu on a side quest, piling into a bitty space ship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Video generation was clearly viewed as one such distracting side quest, and it’s not hard to understand why.
From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026
Surprisingly, learning these curses is not part of the main storyline, but comes with completing steps of Sebastian Sallow’s side quest.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 13, 2023
It stumbles only when the action slows down to send the antihero on a clumsy side quest in search of character motivation instead of another fight.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2019
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.
