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

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

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

If you answered yes to any of these questions, we have a challenge for you!

From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026

Over 80% of the migrants surveyed struggled to afford regular meals and housing, and these groups may face language barriers that make finding resources a challenge.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The challenge is that I live out of state, so everything would have to be handled remotely.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

Professor Chen pointed out that "AI technology continues to evolve much faster than legal frameworks. As new legal questions emerge, AI misinformation remains a considerable challenge."

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

The challenge is tearing oneself away from a venue that has been one’s creative home for so many hours, days, weeks, or months.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Richard said he had been supported by Sussex Police, but was aware of the challenges his former colleagues were facing.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

The challenges in transforming Cracker Barrel are also great, restaurant-industry executives and management specialists said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

If you sign up before Aug. 14 and complete at least one of the challenges, we’ll mail you some fun stuff!

From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026

Although ICE raids aren’t as rampant here as they were a year ago, the South Central community faces new challenges in the midst of changes to federal spending.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

With PJ. away at Duke, the Warden continued to face challenges.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

When AT&T agreed to buy what was then Time Warner in 2016, the companies spent roughly 20 months in merger limbo while the Justice Department challenged the deal in court.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Along with Minneapolis and St. Paul, it challenged Operation Metro Surge by arguing that the federal government had disrupted schools, businesses, emergency services, municipal resources, streets, and the trust on which local governance depends.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

The placement also challenged his understanding of what the job would be like, and that being a mechanic "isn't just about fixing cars".

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

The results directly challenged the idea that SuperAgers are protected simply because they carry fewer Alzheimer's related risk variants.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026

Yet, once those ideas were challenged, progress was breathtakingly rapid—after fifteen centuries of stagnation, there have been fewer than another five centuries from the time of Copernicus to the present day.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

In China, a key market, sales of the spirit fell amid a still challenging market backdrop.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Sánchez spoke on Tuesday of highly challenging hours and days ahead but of light beginning to appear "at the end of the tunnel".

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

On Tuesday, the leaders are expected to discuss the implementation of a US-sponsored framework deal signed by Israel and Lebanon last month, whose application on the ground has been challenging.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

The backing by Nvidia would enable SoftBank to raise debt on more favorable terms, the Journal noted, which would otherwise be challenging given how S&P Global has flagged OpenAI as a key credit risk.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

The challenging Pe-2 dive-bomber’s aircrew of three included a pilot, a navigator, and a tail gunner.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

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