vision quest

American

noun

Anthropology.

(especially among some North American Indians) the ritual seeking of personal communication with the spirit world through visions that are induced by fasting, prayer, and other measures during a time of isolation: typically undertaken by an adolescent male.

Etymology

Origin of vision quest

First recorded in 1920–25

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.

What she landed on feels both cozy and exploratory — a homecoming disguised as a vision quest.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2024

Servais briefly pondered the notion of a Kelenic-Rodriguez tandem that’s in sync and raking with consistency — a Seattle vision quest for four years and counting.

From Seattle Times • May 23, 2023

But there’s more to Shetler than such cliches might suggest — and more to this story than an ad hoc vision quest gone wrong.

From Washington Post • May 19, 2022

The peppers send him on a vision quest to learn who his soul mate is.

From The Guardian • Nov. 24, 2016

I once saw Redbird going to White Bear when he was on his vision quest.

From Shaman by Shea, Robert

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023