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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

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

The challenge for England is to find the right blend to suit the winter.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

The challenge is learning how to translate those infrared signals into reliable estimates of composition.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026

There was the time, for instance, when a friend was mulling over a family challenge, and I thought I had the absolute perfect solution for juggling her personal desires with her caregiving commitments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

It was a "huge challenge" to have 100 a month, he said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

Which is probably why it was my favorite; there was nothing I loved more than a challenge.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

The corporation said at the time that it was "exceptionally proud" of the shows, but they had to make "difficult choices in light of our funding challenges".

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

But a weakening economy and ferocious domestic competition has also made the fungus a symbol of the challenges many are facing in China’s difficult economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

That spirit faded as new challenges replaced old ones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

One of the biggest challenges in treating solid tumors is their diversity.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

Along with his other challenges, Mr. Dill had enormous difficulty speaking.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Instead, it grew out of a class assignment in which Wu challenged students to demonstrate how information theory could be used to solve a real problem.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026

For all the good things they have done against Pakistan, there was the feeling their credentials had not been challenged by the dismal performances of the tourists.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Kennedy has challenged the circumstances surrounding the cases, which are the first deaths involving measles reported in the country this year.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

It’s being challenged in court, but perhaps Mr. Smith-Njigba should ask to be traded.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

But Priddy was concerned that his attempts to achieve eugenic sterilizations would still be challenged by state and federal courts.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Mercury will be particularly challenging because it remains low in the sky and close to the glare of the rising sun.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

A 2011 lawsuit challenging those leases led to another shift.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Technical indicators speak to PayPal challenging Visa, Mastercard, and Block in coming months.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

Despite robust sales for breakout titles, publishing remains a challenging business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Tradition called for me to provide a kind of gentle light, flattering the president with my devotion, flattering the nation primarily by not challenging it.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

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