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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

She rejected what she called the government’s “cynical interpretation” of the Supreme Court’s ruling, writing that the justices had “not endorsed the view that any challenge to the final rule is now too late.”

From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026

Between earlier military losses and fear of retaliation, Iran appears unwilling or unable to challenge the military status quo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

But Root pointed to the challenge faced by all batters against the moving ball in the UK this summer and his own remarkable Test career.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Now, the junta also faces internal threats that challenge the military's cohesion.

From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026

The biggest challenge was there was no official marker on the country road that led to Hacienda Dorada.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

Dollyfest was originally set for January 2026 — around Parton’s 80th birthday — but the star paused plans after experiencing health challenges in August 2025, according to her estate’s press release.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

Tax uncertainties, bureaucratic red tape, delays in land and environmental approvals are all long-documented challenges for foreign investors, including the Japanese.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Also weighing on talks are Trump's trade wars, notably the recent tit-for-tat flareup with Canada, while observers monitor if the G20 can still work together to address big economic challenges.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

That list includes everything from design changes during construction to supply-chain challenges that at times idled a huge on-site labor force.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

She’d proven herself in the tunnels under Rome, beaten a whole series of challenges with only her wits.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

“We’re going to need the depth of this roster,” Riley said, “and we obviously challenged that in the fourth quarter, and obviously didn’t respond the way we wanted.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

However, the South Korean study published last year challenged it by arguing that Type Ia supernovae did not all reach the same peak brightness as the universe aged.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026

“Defendants’ contemporaneous words and deeds confirm that the challenged actions were based on a desire to make a public example out of Anthropic for its ‘arrogance’ in criticizing the government,” Lin wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Salmond, a former SNP leader and first minister, challenged the way the investigation was conducted, and in 2019 government lawyers conceded the process had been unlawful and procedurally unfair.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Granted, they were there because Burr challenged Hamilton, and Hamilton concluded he could not refuse the challenge without staining his honor.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

So the states returned to court, this time with a new lawsuit challenging the finished product.

From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026

Still, India’s outlook has become more challenging as the Middle East conflict pushes up oil prices and pressures capital flows and the rupee, raising risks to growth and inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

There are many who will say he is challenging Pele for the title of football's greatest ever.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

The downsizing comes amid a particularly challenging stretch for film and TV productions in California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 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