Dictionaries › English

challenge

Pronunciation: /ˈt͡ʃæl.ɪnd͡ʒ/

The English word “challenge” has 20 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. An antagonization or instigation intended to convince a person to perform an action they otherwise would not.
  2. A bid to overcome something.
  3. An attempt to take possession; a tackle.
  4. A summons to fight a duel; also, the letter or message conveying the summons.
  5. 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.
  6. An attempt to have a work of literature restricted or removed from a public library or school curriculum.
  7. A difficult task, especially one that the person making the attempt finds more enjoyable because of that difficulty.
  8. The act of appealing a ruling or decision of a court of administrative agency.
  9. 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).
  10. The act of seeking to remove a judge, arbitrator, or other judicial or semi-judicial figure for reasons of alleged bias or incapacity.
  11. An act of seeking to have a certain person be declared not legally qualified to vote, made when the person offers their ballot.
  12. The opening and crying of hounds upon first finding the scent of their game.

verb

  1. To invite (someone) to take part in a competition.
  2. To dare (someone).
  3. To dispute (something); to contest.
  4. To call something into question or dispute.
  5. To make a formal objection to a juror.
  6. To be difficult or challenging for.
  7. To claim as due; to demand as a right.
  8. To censure; to blame.

Etymology

From Middle English chalenge, variant with palatalization of Middle English kalange (“an accusation, claim”), from Old French chalenge, chalonge, palatalized Central French variants of Old Northern French calenge, calonge (see Continental Norman calengier), from Latin calumnia (“a false accusation, calumny”). Cognate with Old English hōl (“calumny”). Doublet of calumny.

Keep exploring: in the interactive dictionary every word of a definition is a link. Open “challenge” there

More English words

About this dictionary

The English dictionary on Glottosphere has 650,529 entries with a page. Browse the English dictionary.

Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.