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challenge

American  

[chal-inj] / ˈtʃæl ɪndʒ /

noun

• challenges
  plural

1. a call or summons to engage in any contest, as of skill, strength, etc.

2. something that by its nature or character serves as a call to battle, contest, special effort, etc..

   Space exploration offers a challenge to humankind.

3. a call to fight, as a battle, a duel, etc.

4. a demand to explain, justify, etc..

   a challenge to the treasurer to itemize expenditures.

5. difficulty in a job or undertaking that is stimulating to one engaged in it.

6. Military. the demand of a sentry for identification or a countersign.

7. Law. a formal objection to the qualifications of a particular juror, to that juror serving, or to the legality of an entire jury.

8. the assertion that a vote is invalid or that a voter is not legally qualified.

9. Biology. the process of inducing or assessing physiological or immunological activity by exposing an organism to a specific substance.

10. Hunting. the crying of a hound on finding a scent.

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verb (used with object)

• challenges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• challenged,
  past participle,  past
• challenging
  present participle

1. to summon to a contest of skill, strength, etc.

   Synonyms:

   invite, bid, dare

2. to take exception to; call in question.

   to challenge the wisdom of a procedure.

   Synonyms:

   doubt, impute, question

3. to demand as something due or rightful.

4. Military. to halt and demand identification or countersign from.

5. Law. to take formal exception to (a juror or jury).

6. to have a claim to; invite; arouse; stimulate.

   a matter which challenges attention.

7. to assert that (a vote) is invalid.

8. to assert that (a voter) is not qualified to vote.

9. to expose an organism to a specific substance in order to assess its physiological or immunological activity.

10. Archaic. to lay claim to.

verb (used without object)

• challenges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• challenged,
  past participle,  past
• challenging
  present participle

1. to make or issue a challenge.

2. Hunting. (of hounds) to cry or give tongue on picking up the scent.

adjective

1. donated or given by a private, corporate, or government benefactor on condition that the recipient raise an additional specified amount from the public.

   a challenge grant.

challenge British  

/ ˈtʃælɪndʒ /

verb

1. to invite or summon (someone to do something, esp to take part in a contest)

2. (also intr) to call (something) into question; dispute

3. to make demands on; stimulate

   the job challenges his ingenuity

4. to order (a person) to halt and be identified or to give a password

5. law to make formal objection to (a juror or jury)

6. to lay claim to (attention, etc)

7. (intr) hunting (of a hound) to cry out on first encountering the scent of a quarry

8. to inject (an experimental animal immunized with a test substance) with disease microorganisms to test for immunity to the disease

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noun

1. a call to engage in a fight, argument, or contest

2. a questioning of a statement or fact; a demand for justification or explanation

3. a demanding or stimulating situation, career, object, etc

4. a demand by a sentry, watchman, etc, for identification or a password

5. an assertion that a person is not entitled to vote or that a vote is invalid

6. law a formal objection to a person selected to serve on a jury ( challenge to the polls ) or to the whole body of jurors ( challenge to the array )

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• challenger
  noun
• prechallenge
  verb (used with object)
• rechallenge
  verb (used with object)
• challengeable
  adjective
• unchallengeable
  adjective
• unchallengeably
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• challenges
  plural

Participles

• challenging
  present
• challenged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• challenge
  simple
• challenges
  simple
• have challenged
  perfect
• has challenged
  perfect
• am challenging
  progressive
• are challenging
  progressive
• is challenging
  progressive
• have been challenging
  perfect progressive
• has been challenging
  perfect progressive

Past

• challenged
  simple
• had challenged
  perfect
• was challenging
  progressive
• were challenging
  progressive
• had been challenging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will challenge
  simple
• will have challenged
  perfect
• will be challenging
  progressive
• will have been challenging
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of challenge

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English chalenge, from Old French, variant of chalonge, from Latin calumnia “false statement”; see calumny

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Explanation

A challenge is something that puts you to the test — like running your first marathon or reading War and Peace. Challenge, as a verb, is derived from a Latin word meaning "to accuse falsely," and it is still used much as it was in the 13th century, in the sense of questioning whether something is true or right. Students sometimes challenge a weeknight curfew, and lawyers might challenge the evidence submitted by the other side in a lawsuit. Challenge is also used as a noun for a competition in which people challenge one another to prove that they’re the best at something.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

challenge challenges challenged challenging

They were called to Curleywee in the Minigaff Hills to help a runner who was injured while taking part in the OMM mountain challenge.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

While that would provide a challenge to AI deployment, any restrictions on China would in turn benefit U.S. manufacturers and allied suppliers, Daryanani said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

Building the album around Cuban music was a challenge Chuwi embraced —and one that their invitees found “very curious” at first.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026

As we mention in the story, CEO burnout was also cited as an important challenge associated with longer hold periods.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

It was a conundrum, to be sure, but a good night’s sleep and a tasty breakfast had restored Penelope’s supply of pluck, and she felt more than ready for the challenge.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Despite these challenges, Anthropic’s business has grown very quickly.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

He added: "Only by confronting the realities highlighted throughout this report can politicians and policymakers hope to overcome the many challenges facing communities across Wales."

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

It was axed due to weak sales, operational snags and challenges selling the sandwich during late-night hours, he noted.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

The company’s CEO Hakan Samuelsson provided a candid and realistic appraisal on the challenges facing Western automakers in China in 2026, the bank says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

We filed similar challenges to life-without-parole sentences in several other cases involving children, including Ian Manuel's case.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

With that industry now going through turbulent changes, and Los Angeles challenged by issues including affordability, homelessness and a crumbling infrastructure, he worries that future generations may no longer be drawn here.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

“With severely challenged volumes, we need to reinforce our turnaround plan with additional decisive actions, lowering our break-even point and improving cash flows to make us more resilient,” Chief Executive Hakan Samuelsson said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

His lawyers challenged the claim, citing "several inconsistent versions of the allegations", including a reference to $5 million rather than euros at a Mauritian bail hearing.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

For that exception to be triggered, the challenged conduct had to be carried out by, or at the direction of, US officials.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Omi, who never took sides, never challenged Zara about anything.

From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee

Your letter references how financial pressures, emotional turmoil, challenging workplace situations, addictions and mental-health challenges all play a role in how people deal with stressful situations.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

Scientists exploring the forests of Yunnan, China, have discovered an extraordinary giant fungus that is challenging previous assumptions about how large certain fungi can grow.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026

For cartoonists, however, challenging those in power is central to their work.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

He didn’t exercise in public or show off his abs, and there is no record of him ever leading his troops in calisthenics or challenging his peers to a pull-up contest.

From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026

“We have a long, challenging road ahead of us. We’ll be lucky to get past the checkpoint outside the city limits. This guy was the least of our problems.”

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

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Related Words

• ask for
• assert
• call for
• claim
• confront
• defy
• demand
• denounce
• impose
• require
• test
• try

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