- 1 a new or difficult task that tests somebody’s ability and skill an exciting/interesting challenge The role will be the biggest challenge of his acting career. to face a challenge (= to have to deal with one) Destruction of the environment is one of the most serious challenges we face. Schools must meet the challenge of new technology (= deal with it successfully). I’m looking forward to the challenge of my new job. Wordfinderadventureadrenaline, adventure, attempt, challenge, enthusiasm, escapade, excitement, explore, kick, thrill Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebig, considerable, enormous, … verb + challengebe, constitute, remain, … challenge + verbconfront somebody, face somebody, arise, … See full entry
- 2 an invitation or a suggestion to somebody that they should enter a competition, fight, etc. to accept/take up a challenge to mount a challenge Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveeffective, serious, strong, … verb + challengebe, constitute, present, … prepositionchallenge from, challenge to See full entry
- 3 challenge (to something) a statement or an action that shows that somebody refuses to accept something and questions whether it is right, legal, etc. It was a direct challenge to the president's authority. Their legal challenge was unsuccessful. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveeffective, serious, strong, … verb + challengebe, constitute, present, … prepositionchallenge from, challenge to See full entry Word OriginMiddle English (in the senses ‘accusation’ and ‘accuse’): from Old French chalenge (noun), chalenger (verb), from Latin calumnia ‘calumny’, calumniari ‘slander’.Extra examples He has taken on some exciting new challenges with this job. He was answering challenges to the government’s policy. I accepted his challenge to a game of chess. Liszt’s piano music presents an enormous technical challenge. Our team will have to fight off the challenge from better trained teams. She could always be counted on when a challenge arose. The army faced the daunting challenge of fighting a war on two fronts. The challenge lies in creating a demand for the product. The competitive market represents significant challenges for farmers. The demonstration represents a direct challenge to the new law. The gallery has risen to the challenge of exhibiting the works of young artists. a challenge from the other political party a legal challenge to the President’s power his title challenge to the heavyweight champion plans to mount a leadership challenge within the party the challenges facing nurses in casualty She took up his challenge. an exciting/interesting challenge
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