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 other challenge is that symptoms from the parasite can take weeks to appear, making it hard for investigators to accurately trace back everything someone has eaten in order to pinpoint a common link.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

The logo challenge was one of several exercises designed to use those skills, alongside a scavenger hunt and a whodunnit fraud exercise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

There’s so much to chew on in David Alvarado’s portrait of life, art and activism that “American Pachuco” plays like a joyful challenge to those searching for their own voice or meaning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

"It's a very hard research challenge," said Dan Lahav, head of Irregular, a cybersecurity firm dedicated to cutting-edge AI.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

The word explodes from my mouth; I issue it like a challenge.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Despite the challenges, Nelson said she was looking forward to spending more time with her children.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

Sociology has long been tasked with investigating society’s most pressing challenges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

The measures were planned after a months-long investigation and are considered more resistant to legal challenges than earlier moves.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

"Recently, Japan's native giant salamanders have faced challenges such as hybridization with foreign species and habitat destruction," says Noda.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026

We had never received state support for our work, and without the federal dollars we faced serious financial challenges.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

The newspaper had challenged the government requests for phone records of reporters and grand jury testimony as an attempt to "intimidate" the press and filed a motion to have them quashed.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

He also said the authenticity of the bite marks on the photo — which form a circular shape with an absence of bruising — could be challenged in court by an expert in tooth reconstruction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

As FTC chair under former President Joe Biden, she unsuccessfully challenged Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but succeeded in blocking the merger of grocery-store rivals Kroger’s and Albertsons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Keegan is one of the most transformational figures in Newcastle's history - the mastermind behind 'The Entertainers', who challenged for the Premier League title in 1996.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Afraid I would get lost in the storm, I challenged every decision.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

The bridge fallout comes against a backdrop of a challenging trade dispute with Canada and the US.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Charter Communications’ latest earnings results highlight the increasingly competitive broadband market, which has proved challenging for established cable providers.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

Flores, a lawyer challenging Gonzalez, is worth between $2.6 million and $11.4 million, owing to his ownership of a healthcare company and his wife’s trust.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026

However, one of the experts acknowledged that conducting the ideal study in a mental health ward setting would be challenging.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Dad used to try to get her to spend more time on academic research so she could publish more articles and get a promotion and teach more challenging classes.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Related Words

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