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APG.American
Pronunciation Guide
HOW TO PRONOUNCE

challenge

/ˈtʃæləndʒ/

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What does challenge mean?

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.
More meanings (20)

noun

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

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 question or demand the countersign from (one who attempts to pass the lines).
  8. To object to the reception of the vote of, e.g. on the ground that the person is not qualified as a voter.
  9. To take (a final exam) in order to get credit for a course without taking it.
  10. (obsolete) To claim as due; to demand as a right.
  11. (obsolete) To censure; to blame.
Wiktionary contributors

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈtʃæləndʒ/

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

The country's immediate economic challenge is an acute financial crisis that is undermining monetary stability and preventing disbursement of foreign development assistance.
United States. Central Intelligence AgencyThe 1993 CIA World FactbookProject Gutenberg ebook #87
I have a roisting challenge sent amongst The dull and factious nobles of the Greeks Will strike amazement to their drowsy spirits.
William ShakespeareThe Complete Works of William ShakespeareProject Gutenberg ebook #100
More book examples (3)
He rounded curve after curve, and frequently stopping on a conspicuous perch, flung a ringing challenge in the face of the morning.
Gene Stratton-PorterThe Song of the CardinalProject Gutenberg ebook #533
The slightest offence which it is possible to imagine that one man could offer to another, was sufficient to provoke a challenge.
Charles MackayMemoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions — Volume 1Project Gutenberg ebook #636
The tribe on the Thames River was utterly overthrown, and the chief to whom the challenge had been given was himself killed.
Charles DarwinThe Voyage of the BeagleProject Gutenberg ebook #944