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View synonyms for

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: , , , , ,

  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

/ ɛ /

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

  • ˈܱٱ, noun
  • ˈܱپԲ, adverb
  • ˈܱپԲ, adjective
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Other Word Forms

  • ܱİ noun
  • ܱiԲ· adverb
  • ܲ·ܱĻ 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 ܲīٲ, 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

Examples have not been reviewed.

There’s reason to fear that Kennedy’s quest for a cause or even a cure for autism will shoulder aside other research more important for those with ASD.

From

It is, “above all, a quest. To understand myself, our family’s collective disease, Indian people’s unparalleled ability to survive, and the history of Indian boarding schools.”

From

Players control a crew of characters on a quest to destroy the Paintress – a being who emerges once a year and scrawls a number onto a monolith.

From

Commentators sometimes compare dictators to Herod, the king who ordered the massacre of children in his quest to kill the infant Christ.

From

Despite continuing in its quest to conquer and occupy as much of Ukraine as possible, Moscow claims it is still striving for peace.

From

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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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