Hunt vs. Quest — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Urooj Arif — Updated on March 31, 2024
Hunt focuses on the pursuit and capturing or killing of wild animals or game, often for food or sport. Quest, signifies a long or arduous search for something, typically involving a journey or significant effort, driven by a specific goal or purpose.
Difference Between Hunt and Quest
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Key Differences
Hunting generally implies tracking and pursuing animals to capture or kill them, often for sustenance, sport, or trade, emphasizing the skill and strategy involved in tracking and outwitting prey. Whereas a quest involves a search or pursuit with a significant goal, often embodying a journey filled with challenges, personal growth, or the attainment of knowledge, wisdom, or valued items.
While hunting is primarily associated with the physical act of chasing and capturing or killing, often relying on tools, weapons, and physical prowess, quests are characterized by their narrative or symbolic significance, involving not just physical but also mental, emotional, or spiritual trials.
Hunting can be a solitary activity or involve groups, focusing on the immediate goal of acquiring food or trophies, showcasing the direct interaction between humans and the natural world. On the other hand, quests are frequently communal or shared experiences, involving companions, guides, or adversaries, highlighting the journey's impact on personal development and relationships.
The motivation behind hunting is often practical, such as obtaining food, controlling animal populations, or as a sport, rooted in survival instincts and human history. In contrast, quests are driven by a desire for achievement, discovery, or fulfillment of a significant personal or communal goal, reflecting deep human desires for meaning, accomplishment, and connection.
Hunting regulations and ethics play a crucial role in modern practices, focusing on sustainability, conservation, and respect for wildlife. Quests, though less bound by legal or ethical codes, are governed by moral, philosophical, or narrative principles, emphasizing the importance of the journey’s purpose and the means by which objectives are pursued.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
The pursuit and capture or killing of wildlife or game
A long or arduous search for something with significant purpose
Motivation
Often for food, sport, or population control
Driven by a goal such as discovery, achievement, or personal growth
Nature
Physical, involving tracking and skill
Symbolic, involving challenges and development
Engagement
Can be solitary or group activity
Often involves companions or guides
Regulation
Subject to legal and ethical guidelines
Governed by moral or narrative principles
Compare with Definitions
Hunt
The act of tracking and capturing or killing animals or game.
They went on a hunt for deer in the early morning.
Quest
A search or pursuit with a significant goal, often involving a journey.
The knight embarked on a quest to find the lost artifact.
Hunt
Primarily to obtain food, control populations, or for sport.
The annual hunt helps manage deer populations.
Quest
May use physical objects, but also wisdom, knowledge, or magical items.
The map was crucial for their quest.
Hunt
Governed by laws to ensure ethical practices.
She obtained the necessary licenses for the hunting season.
Quest
Symbolic, involving personal or communal growth.
The quest led him through unknown lands.
Hunt
Involves physical prowess, strategy, and sometimes teamwork.
The hunt required careful planning and stealth.
Quest
Less about laws and more about moral or philosophical guidelines.
The quest was bound by an oath of honor and truth.
Hunt
Hunters use weapons like rifles, bows, or traps.
He checked his rifle before the hunt.
Quest
To achieve something of great value or personal significance.
Their quest was to discover the ancient city.
Hunt
Pursue and kill (a wild animal) for sport or food
They hunted and fished
In the autumn they hunted deer
Quest
A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. The word serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical.
Hunt
Search determinedly for someone or something
He desperately hunted for a new job
Quest
The act or an instance of seeking or pursuing something; a search.
Hunt
(of a device or system) oscillate about a desired speed, position, or state
On weak stereo signals this circuit can hunt over mono and stereo in a very disconcerting manner
Quest
An expedition undertaken in medieval romance by a knight in order to perform a prescribed feat
The quest for the Holy Grail.
Hunt
(in change-ringing) move the place of a bell in a simple progression.
Quest
An inquest.
Hunt
An act of hunting wild animals or game
A bear-hunt
Quest
A jury appointed to take part in an inquest.
Hunt
A search
Police launched a hunt for the killer
Quest
To search for something
Quested for knowledge.
Hunt
An oscillating motion about a desired speed, position, or state.
Quest
To go on a quest.
Hunt
To pursue (game) for food or sport.
Quest
To search for game or bay when sighting game, as a hound.
Hunt
To search through (an area) for prey
Hunted the ridges.
Quest
A journey or effort in pursuit of a goal (often lengthy, ambitious, or fervent); a mission.
Hunt
To make use of (hounds, for example) in pursuing game.
Quest
The act of seeking, or looking after anything; attempt to find or obtain; search; pursuit.
To rove in quest of game, of a lost child, of property, etc.
Hunt
To pursue intensively so as to capture or kill
Hunted down the escaped convict.
Quest
(obsolete) Request; desire; solicitation.
Hunt
To seek out; search for.
Quest
(obsolete) A group of people making search or inquiry.
Hunt
To drive out forcibly, especially by harassing; chase away
Hunted the newcomers out of town.
Quest
(obsolete) Inquest; jury of inquest.
Hunt
To pursue game.
Quest
(education) A short test.
Hunt
To make a search; seek.
Quest
(intransitive) To seek or pursue a goal; to undertake a mission or job.
Hunt
To yaw back and forth about a flight path, as if seeking a new direction or another angle of attack. Used of an aircraft, rocket, or space vehicle.
Quest
(transitive) To search for something; to seek.
Hunt
To rotate up and down or back and forth without being deflected by the pilot. Used of a control surface or a rocket motor in gimbals.
Quest
To locate and attach to a host animal.
Hunt
To oscillate about a selected value. Used of a machine, instrument, or system.
Quest
The act of seeking, or looking after anything; attempt to find or obtain; search; pursuit; as, to rove in quest of game, of a lost child, of property, etc.
Upon an hard adventure yet in quest.
Cease your quest of love.
There ended was his quest, there ceased his care.
Hunt
To swing back and forth; oscillate. Used of an indicator on a display or instrument panel.
Quest
Request; desire; solicitation.
Gad not abroad at every quest and callOf an untrained hope or passion.
Hunt
The act or sport of hunting
An enthusiast for the hunt.
Quest
Those who make search or inquiry, taken collectively.
The senate hath sent about three several quests to search you out.
Hunt
A hunting expedition or outing, usually with horses and hounds.
Quest
Inquest; jury of inquest.
What lawful quest have given their verdict ?
Hunt
Those taking part in such an expedition or outing.
Quest
To search for; to examine.
Hunt
The hunting season for a particular animal
Last year's deer hunt.
Quest
To go on a quest; to make a search; to go in pursuit; to beg.
If his questing had been unsuccessful, he appeased the rage of hunger with some scraps of broken meat.
Hunt
A diligent search or pursuit
On a hunt for cheap gas.
Quest
A search for an alternative that meets cognitive criteria;
The pursuit of love
Life is more than the pursuance of fame
A quest for wealth
Hunt
(ambitransitive) To find or search for an animal in the wild with the intention of killing the animal for its meat or for sport.
State Wildlife Management areas often offer licensed hunters the opportunity to hunt on public lands.
Her uncle will go out and hunt for deer, now that it is open season.
Quest
The act of searching for something;
A quest for diamonds
Hunt
(ambitransitive) To try to find something; search (for).
The little girl was hunting for shells on the beach.
The police are hunting for evidence.
Quest
Make a search (for);
Things that die with their eyes open and questing
The animal came questing through the forest
Hunt
(transitive) To drive; to chase; with down, from, away, etc.
To hunt down a criminal
He was hunted from the parish.
Quest
Search the trail of (game);
The dog went off and quested
Hunt
(transitive) To use or manage (dogs, horses, etc.) in hunting.
Did you hunt that pony last week?
Quest
Bark with prolonged noises, of dogs
Hunt
(transitive) To use or traverse in pursuit of game.
He hunts the woods, or the country.
Quest
Seek alms, as for religious purposes
Hunt
To move or shift the order of (a bell) in a regular course of changes.
Quest
Express the need or desire for; ask for;
She requested an extra bed in her room
She called for room service
Hunt
To shift up and down in order regularly.
Hunt
To be in a state of instability of movement or forced oscillation, as a governor which has a large movement of the balls for small change of load, an arc-lamp clutch mechanism which moves rapidly up and down with variations of current, etc.; also, to seesaw, as a pair of alternators working in parallel.
Hunt
The act of hunting.
Hunt
A hunting expedition.
Hunt
An organization devoted to hunting, or the people belonging to it.
Hunt
A pack of hunting dogs.
Hunt
To search for or follow after, as game or wild animals; to chase; to pursue for the purpose of catching or killing; to follow with dogs or guns for sport or exercise; as, to hunt a deer.
Like a dog, he hunts in dreams.
Hunt
To search diligently after; to seek; to pursue; to follow; - often with out or up; as, to hunt up the facts; to hunt out evidence.
Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.
Hunt
To drive; to chase; - with down, from, away, etc.; as, to hunt down a criminal; he was hunted from the parish.
Hunt
To use or manage in the chase, as hounds.
He hunts a pack of dogs.
Hunt
To use or traverse in pursuit of game; as, he hunts the woods, or the country.
Hunt
To move or shift the order of (a bell) in a regular course of changes.
Hunt
To follow the chase; to go out in pursuit of game; to course with hounds.
Esau went to the field to hunt for venison.
Hunt
To seek; to pursue; to search; - with for or after.
He after honor hunts, I after love.
Hunt
To be in a state of instability of movement or forced oscillation, as a governor which has a large movement of the balls for small change of load, an arc-lamp clutch mechanism which moves rapidly up and down with variations of current, or the like; also, to seesaw, as a pair of alternators working in parallel.
Hunt
To shift up and down in order regularly.
Hunt
The act or practice of chasing wild animals; chase; pursuit; search.
The hunt is up; the morn is bright and gray.
Hunt
The game secured in the hunt.
Hunt
A pack of hounds.
Hunt
An association of huntsmen.
Hunt
A district of country hunted over.
Every landowner within the hunt.
Hunt
Englishman and Pre-Raphaelite painter (1827-1910)
Hunt
United States architect (1827-1895)
Hunt
British writer who defended the romanticism of Keats and Shelley (1784-1859)
Hunt
An association of huntsmen who hunt for sport
Hunt
An instance of searching for something;
The hunt for submarines
Hunt
The activity of looking thoroughly in order to find something or someone
Hunt
The work of finding and killing or capturing animals for food or pelts
Hunt
The pursuit and killing or capture of wild animals regarded as a sport
Hunt
Pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals);
Goering often hunted wild boars in Poland
The dogs are running deer
The Duke hunted in these woods
Hunt
Pursue or chase relentlessly;
The hunters traced the deer into the woods
The detectives hounded the suspect until they found the him
Hunt
Chase away, with as with force;
They hunted the the unwanted immigrants out of the neighborhood
Hunt
Yaw back and forth about a flight path;
The plane's nose yawed
Hunt
Oscillate about a desired speed, position, or state to an undesirable extent;
The oscillator hunts about the correct frequency
Hunt
Seek, search for;
She hunted for her reading glasses but was unable to locate them
Hunt
Search (an area) for prey;
The King used to hunt these forests
Common Curiosities
Is hunting always for food or sport?
Primarily, but it can also involve population control or environmental management.
What makes a quest significant?
Its goal, which often involves achieving something of great value or personal significance, and the growth or change it brings.
What is the main difference between a hunt and a quest?
A hunt involves pursuing and capturing or killing wildlife, often for practical purposes, whereas a quest is a search with a significant goal, focusing on personal or communal growth.
Can a quest involve hunting?
Yes, a quest can involve hunting as part of its challenges or objectives, but the hunt in this context serves a broader narrative or symbolic purpose.
Do quests always involve physical journeys?
Not always; they can also be metaphorical or spiritual journeys involving personal growth or discovery.
What skills are needed for hunting?
Tracking, knowledge of wildlife, proficiency with tools or weapons, and sometimes teamwork.
Are hunts regulated?
Yes, hunting is subject to legal and ethical guidelines to ensure sustainability and respect for wildlife.
Do all cultures have traditions of hunting and quests?
Yes, in various forms, reflecting their values, beliefs, and environments.
How do modern societies view hunting?
Views vary, but there's a strong emphasis on ethical practices, conservation, and respect for wildlife.
Can hunting be a form of conservation?
Yes, when regulated, hunting can help maintain healthy wildlife populations and ecosystems.
What is the role of companions in a quest?
Companions can offer support, wisdom, and companionship, enhancing the journey's significance and success.
Can a quest be a personal endeavor?
Absolutely, quests often involve personal goals or discoveries, though they can also be communal.
Why do people go on quests?
For many reasons, including discovery, personal fulfillment, or achieving a significant goal.
Are quests real or just in stories?
While often featured in stories, the concept of a quest can apply to real-life goals and achievements.
How do ethical considerations affect quests?
Ethical considerations guide the quester's actions, ensuring respect for all beings and adherence to moral or philosophical principles.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
