quest

1 of 2

noun

ˈkwest 

1

a

: a jury of inquest

b

: investigation

2

: an act or instance of seeking:

a

: pursuit, search

b

: a chivalrous enterprise in medieval romance usually involving an adventurous journey

3

obsolete : a person or group of persons who search or make inquiry

quest

2 of 2

verb

quested; questing; quests

intransitive verb

1

of a dog

a

: to search a trail

b

: bay

2

: to go on a quest

transitive verb

1

: to search for

2

: to ask for

quester noun

Synonyms of quest

Noun

• search
• hunt

Verb

• demand
• request
• claim
• require

Examples of quest in a Sentence

Noun

They went on a quest for gold.

The team's quest to win a championship finally came to an end.

He refuses to give up his quest to discover the truth.

Verb

They were questing for gold.

I respectfully quest your assistance in this matter.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

As muscles disappear and social hierarchies collapse, Jim embarks on a wild, campy quest to find a cure before his life falls apart completely. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 July 2026

The millenia-old quest to control fire may be nearing its apotheosis as technology has finally come for some one of the oldest cooking techniques out there. — Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026

Verb

But that is no reason to let the questing spirit atrophy. — Tom Vanderbilt, Outside, 29 Dec. 2025

Larval black-legged ticks, newly hatched and free of infection, begin questing for their first blood meal. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French queste, Vulgar Latin *quaesta, from Latin, feminine of quaestus, past participle of quaerere

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1b

Phrases Containing quest

• in quest of
• vision quest

Rhymes for quest

• blessed
• blest
• breast
• chest
• crest
• dressed
• fest
• gest
• geste
• guessed
• jest
• lest

Kids Definition

quest

1 of 2 noun

ˈkwest 

1

: an act or instance of seeking

2

a

: search entry 2

in quest of game

b

: an adventurous journey by a knight in a tale of olden days

quest

2 of 2 verb

1

: to go on a quest : seek

2

: to search for : pursue

3

: to ask for : demand