challenge

1. 1

   A confrontation; a dare.; An antagonization or instigation intended to convince a person to perform an action they otherwise would not.

   • Congratulations on managing to use the phrase “preponderant criterion” in a chart (“On your marks”, November 9th). Was this the work of a kakorrhaphiophobic journalist set a challenge by his colleagues, or simply an example of glossolalia?
   • Galactus meets your challenge, hears your call. This world, we'll bring destruction to it all!
2. 2

   A confrontation; a dare.; A bid to overcome something.

   • a challenge to the king's authority
3. 3

   A confrontation; a dare.; An attempt to take possession; a tackle.

   • Argentine midfielder Jonas Gutierrez added a superb second when he surged past four challenges to fire in low.
4. 4

   A confrontation; a dare.; A summons to fight a duel; also, the letter or message conveying the summons.

5. 5

   A confrontation; a dare.; The act of a sentry in halting a person and demanding the countersign, or (by extension) the action of a computer system demanding a password, etc.

   • The somewhat-shattered San Francisco also managed to make it out, although not before she'd come within seconds of being blown out of the water by Helena, as the two had lost contact in the dark and the flagship had loomed back out of the m
6. 6

   A confrontation; a dare.; An attempt to have a work of literature restricted or removed from a public library or school curriculum.

7. 7

   A difficult task, especially one that the person making the attempt finds more enjoyable because of that difficulty.

8. 8

   A procedure or action.; The act of appealing a ruling or decision of a court of administrative agency.

9. 9

   A procedure or action.; A judge's interest in the result of a case, constituting grounds for them to not be allowed to sit the case (e.g., a conflict of interest).rare

   • Consanguinity in direct line is a challenge for a judge when he or she is sitting cases.
10. 10

    A procedure or action.; The act of seeking to remove a judge, arbitrator, or other judicial or semi-judicial figure for reasons of alleged bias or incapacity.

    • We're still waiting to hear how the court rules on our challenge of the arbitrator based on conflict of interest.

1. 1

   To invite (someone) to take part in a competition.transitive

   • We challenged the boys next door to a game of football.
2. 2

   To dare (someone).transitive

   • [...] For I challenge any Man to make any pretence to Power by Right of Fatherhood, either intelligible or poſſible in any one, otherwiſe, then either as Adams heir, or as Progenitor over his own deſcendants, naturally ſprung from him.
3. 3

   To dispute (something); to contest.transitive

   • to challenge the accuracy of a statement or of a quotation
4. 4

   To call something into question or dispute.

   • New information challenged old hypotheses.
5. 5

   To make a formal objection to a juror.transitive

6. 6

   To be difficult or challenging for.transitive

   • Before moving onto the content of Hobson-Jobson, an explication of the publication history is necessary since this has clearly challenged many commentators.
7. 7

   To claim as due; to demand as a right.obsoletetransitive

   • Challenge better terms.
8. 8

   To censure; to blame.obsoletetransitive

   • I may be more challenged for my inconsiderate Boldness
9. 9

   To question or demand the countersign from (one who attempts to pass the lines).transitive

   • The sentinel challenged us with "Who goes there?"
10. 10

    To object to the reception of the vote of, e.g. on the ground that the person is not qualified as a voter.UStransitive

syn. becall · call out