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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’s the hidden marketing challenge: The entry-level tech tier is dying.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

“That is going to create yet another affordability challenge for people across the country.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

Across six films, Alice rarely faces a challenge that she can’t overcome.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

Years of experiments have already eliminated many theoretical possibilities, and the continued absence of clear signs of new physics at the LHC has become a major challenge for researchers.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

“That ent important! Little boy, ye tell yer da not to challenge him. I know enough to know fool magic when I see it, but Sigurd’s strong. He won’t fall for it again.”

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

S&P raised its baseline projection for Asia’s 2026 gross domestic product growth to 4.6%, but noted that projections for strong growth this year and next don’t mask the challenges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

This has helped China overcome one of its biggest challenges: a lack of access to advanced chips, which would help unlock greater computing power.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

“This measure recognizes the realities many older adults face, including mobility challenges, chronic health conditions, caregiving responsibilities, and limited access to medical appointments,” the California Senior Legislature wrote in support of the bill.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

In doing so, they lose economies of scale and also risk their market share, adding to their challenges, he added.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

Charles and James had in common one of life's most difficult challenges.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

The connection is one of the most counterintuitive features of quantum mechanics and has challenged physicists' understanding of reality for decades.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

Gen. Rob Bonta challenged the move, which is being decided by the California Supreme Court.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Hospitals and patients have successfully challenged a number of the subpoenas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

These meetings are designed to ensure treatment plans are reviewed and challenged by surgeons, radiologists, pathologists and cancer specialists - before major decisions, such as mastectomies, are made.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

At any given moment, their freedom could be challenged.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

She is challenging her firing in a lawsuit.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

However, challenging disconnected eating can start with small acts of observation.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

"Going into the next decade, we need to be clear-eyed about that and become stronger and more on the front foot about challenging that," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

The gold miner said a challenging operating environment continues to impact underground mining, open-pit mining and sulfide processing at its Syama mine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

They have special expertise and contribute to a range of challenging disciplinary areas.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Related Words

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