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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

Here again the challenge for Apple is to prove that the device can actually do useful things with people’s data.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

The 56-year-old Frenchman has taken on the unusual challenge of training European bison to perform things they would not naturally do in the wild.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Bukayo Saka responded to the challenge set by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta as he proved a game-changer in the 3-0 Champions League win over Lille.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

After the 2008 financial crisis, a dearth of new home construction made affordability a significant challenge for many people trying to break into homeownership.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

Masterji Thakur scanned the room, a challenge crackling in the air, daring any naysayer to object.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

This finding challenges a long-standing assumption about how hydrogen participates in catalytic reactions and could provide valuable clues for designing better catalysts.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

In Moscow, Deforge is preparing to take on one of the biggest challenges of his career by training Karym and Ural, who have been with the circus since August last year.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

“We know we have challenges in approaches to regulation of the financial industry but we need to look forward not backward.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

The automaker’s management used the Paris Motor Show to reiterate the significant challenges facing the business but outlined a clearer pathway toward its 8%-10% margin ambition by 2030.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 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

While his legal fight was going on in Italy, another Ukrainian man called Volodymyr Zhuravlov successfully challenged Germany's extradition bid in a Polish court.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

"Defendants shall not enter into, renew, or expand any agreement authorizing the development, creation, dissemination, placement, or airing of the challenged advertisements," Rochon said in the court order.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

Yet after the initial burst, he challenged only 10 more pitches all season, finishing with a 64% success rate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Defence lawyers challenged the credibility of the evidence and argued the case against Ferris was deeply flawed.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Are constantly challenged to do what is right and not convenient and come across as questionable in behaviors and dress.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

The New York-stock has faced a challenging month however, with shares down almost 9% since Oct.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

BMW group vehicle deliveries fell in the third quarter as the continuing challenging market in China offset growth in Europe and the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute reported these findings on September 27, 2026, in the journal Aging Cell, challenging a widely accepted view of how cellular recycling changes throughout life.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

Anderson specialises in challenging UTI cases, and is leading a group of medical experts to develop a medical definition of chronic UTIs to differentiate it from other conditions.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

The Man in the White Shirt staggered and turned to glare at the driver, who shot him a challenging look in the mirror.

From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers

Related Words

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