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The Ice Bucket Challenge raised money for research into which disease?

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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

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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

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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

During her challenge, Parkinson said "lots of people" had come forward to share their stories showing "how common stalking is".

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

Messrs. Fernández-Villaverde and Norrick approach the challenge of unpacking the causes of all this with humility.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

Seven young women accepted the challenge in the first year and nine in 2023.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

An additional challenge is that people rarely consume sweeteners on their own.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

The young women wondered if the attention to detail was a subtle challenge.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Those projects have all similarly been met with various legal challenges, including claims that Congress must give its consent to such large changes.

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026

However, positioning the electrodes correctly remains one of the greatest challenges.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

“Tina Kotek told Oregonians that she would solve the problems and challenges facing our state,” Drazan said in the candidates’ first debate this month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

One of the biggest challenges: complying with the rule that he must remain in the home while hosting guests.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

How had other First Ladies managed their hair, makeup, and wardrobe challenges?

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Beyond their potential clinical importance, the findings also provide new insight into the fundamental process of skin renewal, helping address a question that has challenged scientists for decades.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

Paul Cremo, who directs the Met's commissioning program, said creating the other-worldly universe for "Bardo" -- in which tendrils engulf singers and ghosts explode -- challenged the Met's technical staff.

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026

It’s being challenged in Washington court and has a hearing scheduled for February.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The court heard that, when O'Brien was arrested, he "argued with officers" and "challenged" them.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

One day he challenged me to a game of chess.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Elected to the San Diego City Council in 2008, he cast himself as a fiscal watchdog, challenging labor unions and businesses’ influence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

In addition, introducing the labels can be challenging, and some markers may alter the behavior of the very structures scientists want to study.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

The White House press secretary job is a challenging one, even under the best of circumstances.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

If you have never read his work, prepare yourself for a serious undertaking—or perhaps start with something more manageable like “Perdido Street Station,” slightly less challenging at around 700 pages.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Zvezda snorted from inside, as if challenging her threat.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

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Related Words

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

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