Meaning & use
challenge
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Meanings
nouncountable
A difficult task or situation that demands effort, skill, or determination.
Grammar: Countable; common frames are face a challenge and meet a challenge.
Patterns
- face a challenge
- meet a challenge
- pose a challenge
Remote work is a challenge for teams that need quick decisions.
She welcomed the challenge of leading a larger department.
Cold weather posed a serious challenge for the delivery schedule.
verbtransitive
To question whether a claim, decision, or action is correct, fair, or acceptable.
Grammar: Takes an object: challenge the result; often followed by a that-clause in reported speech.
Patterns
- challenge a decision
- challenge someone to explain something
- challenge the idea that
Residents challenged the decision to close the library branch.
The lawyer challenged the witness to explain the missing records.
Few reporters challenged the minister's account at the briefing.
verbtransitive
To invite someone to compete, play, or try to achieve something difficult.
Grammar: Takes an object and often a to-infinitive or to phrase: challenge him to a game.
Patterns
- challenge someone to something
- challenge someone to do something
- challenge the champion
My brother challenged me to a game of chess after dinner.
The coach challenged the sprinters to beat their best times.
A newcomer challenged the champion in the final round.
Word forms
| noun plural | challenges |
|---|---|
| third person singular | challenges |
| past tense | challenged |
| past participle | challenged |
| -ing form | challenging |
Common combinations
- face a challenge
- The hospital faces the challenge of hiring more nurses.
- take on a challenge
- She took on the challenge of rebuilding the volunteer program.
- rise to the challenge
- When the ferry stopped running, the crew rose to the challenge.
- challenge authority
- Students learned to challenge authority with evidence rather than anger.
Synonyms and how they differ
- test
- A test measures ability or quality; a challenge emphasizes difficulty and the effort needed to respond.
- dare
- As a verb, dare is a bold challenge often to prove courage; challenge can be formal, competitive, or intellectual.
- dispute
- Dispute means disagree about or question something; challenge is broader and can include inviting competition.
- task
- A task is any piece of work; a challenge is a task that is especially demanding.
Opposites
Word family
- challenging adjective
- Difficult in a way that tests ability or effort.
- challenger noun
- A person who challenges a champion, decision, or idea.
- unchallenged adjective
- Not questioned or opposed.
Commonly confused: challenge or chance? challenge or channel?
challenge vs chance
Chance means possibility or opportunity; challenge means a demanding task or to question or invite competition.
challenge vs channel
Channel means a path for water, broadcasts, or communication; it differs in spelling and meaning from challenge.
Practice
Which sentence uses challenge as a verb meaning to question something?
Choose one answer.
Challenging a bill means questioning whether its charges are correct. Options 1, 3, and 4 use challenge or challenges as nouns meaning difficult tasks, not the verb of questioning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “challenge”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.