Go out to start a quest and be a winner (8)
I believe the answer is:
vanquish
'go' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both related to competing as well as being verbs in their base form.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'out to start a quest and be a winner' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'a' could be 'an' and 'an' is found within the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for vanquish that I've seen before include "Defeat in battle" , "Defeat, overcome someone" , "Defeat in a contest" , "Defeat, conquer" , "Come out better in a contest" .)