quest

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a jury of inquest
2
: an act or instance of seeking:
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

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
The 38-year-old brings a powerful presence to the role, capturing the complexity of a man torn between his duties as a parent and his quest for justice. Essence, 23 Oct. 2024 Ethan — Victor’s squire and one of the few people in town who sees this as a quest, also sees the Boy In White, perhaps the best team player in town despite his age. Erik Kain, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
Verb
So, keep paying your mortgage, but just hope the scientists will speed this detection quest up a little bit. Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024 Overall, this does not suggest a country looking for a fight, questing after monsters to destroy, or seeking to act like a hegemon. John Mueller, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2021 See all Example Sentences for quest 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of quest was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near quest

Cite this Entry

“Quest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quest. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

quest

1 of 2 noun
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

More from Merriam-Webster on quest

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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