challenge

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A call to engage in a contest, fight, or competition: a challenge to a duel.
2. n. An act or statement of defiance; a call to confrontation: a challenge to the government's authority.
3. n. A demand for explanation or justification; a calling into question: a challenge to a theory.
4. n. A sentry's call to an unknown party for proper identification.
5. n. A test of one's abilities or resources in a demanding but stimulating undertaking: a career that offers a challenge.
6. n. A claim that a vote is invalid or that a voter is unqualified.
7. n. Law A formal objection to the inclusion of a prospective juror in a jury.
8. n. Immunology The induction or evaluation of an immune response in an organism by administration of a specific antigen to which it has been sensitized.
9. v. To call to engage in a contest, fight, or competition: challenged me to a game of chess.
10. v. To invite with defiance; dare: challenged him to contradict her. See Synonyms at defy.
11. v. To take exception to; call into question; dispute: a book that challenges established beliefs.
12. v. To order to halt and be identified, as by a sentry.
13. v. Law To take formal objection to (a prospective juror).
14. v. To question the qualifications of (a voter) or validity of (a vote).
15. v. To have due claim to; call for: events that challenge our attention.
16. v. To summon to action, effort, or use; stimulate: a problem that challenges the imagination.
17. v. Immunology To induce or evaluate an immune response in (an organism) by administering a specific antigen to which it has been sensitized.
18. v. To make or give voice to a challenge.
19. v. To begin barking upon picking up the scent. Used of hunting dogs.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Accusation; charge.
2. n. A claim or demand; pretension.
3. n. A summons or invitation to a duel; a calling upon one to engage in single combat, as for the vindication of the challenger's honor; a defiance.
4. n. Hence An invitation to a contest or trial of any kind: as, a challenge to a rubber at whist; a challenge to a public debate; “a challenge to controversy,”
5. n. The letter or message containing the summons to a combat or contest.
6. n. Milit., the act of a sentry in demanding the countersign from any one who approaches his post.
7. n. In hunting, the opening cry of hounds on first finding the scent of their game.
8. n. A calling in question; an exception taken, as to the tenability of a proposition, or a person's right to do something or to hold something.
9. n. In law, an objection to a juror; the claim of a party that a certain juror shall not sit in the cause. The right of challenge is given in both civil and criminal trials, for certain reasons which are supposed to disqualify a juror to be an impartial judge. The challenge may extend either to the whole panel or body of jurors, called a challenge to the array, or only to particular jurors, called a challenge to the polls. Both of these challenges are subdivided into principal challenges (or challenges for principal cause) and challenges to the favor. A principal challenge is a challenge which alleges a fact of such a nature that, if proved, the juror is disqualified as a matter of law, without inquiring whether he is actually impartial: as, that one or more of the jury are returned at the nomination of the other party, or are nearly related to the other party. A challenge to the favor consists in the allegation by the party of a cause that might probably bias, and the raising of the question whether the juror is in fact impartial: as, a statement that a juror has already formed an opinion, or is prejudiced against the party. A peremptory challenge, allowed by statute in many jurisdictions, is a challenge of jurors, to a limited number, to be taken without showing any cause at all.
10. To accuse; call to answer; censure.
11. To lay claim to; demand as due or as a right: as, the Supreme Being challenges our reverence and homage.
12. To call, invite, or summon to single combat or duel.
13. To call to a contest; call into opposing activity; invite to a trial; defy: as, to challenge a man to prove what he asserts (implying defiance).
14. To take exception to; object to (a person or thing); call in question: as, to challenge the accuracy of a statement. Specifically
15. In law, to object or take exception to, as a juror or jury panel. See challenge, n., 9—7. Milit., to demand the countersign from: as, a sentry is bound to challenge every person appearing near his post. See challenge, n., 6.
16. In hunting, to whimper or cry when the scent of game is first discovered: said of a hound.
17. n. In the East Indies, an exception taken by a ryot to the assessment of a neighbor's holding when it is less than that of his own poorer holding, accompanied by an offer to take over the neighbor's holding at a higher assessment, and a claim for the assessment on his own to be correspondingly reduced.

Wiktionary

1. n. An instigation or antagonization intended to convince a person to perform an action they otherwise would not.
2. n. A difficult task, especially one that the person making the attempt finds more enjoyable because of that difficulty.
3. n. A bid to overcome something.
4. n. law, rare A judge's interest in the result of the case for which he or she should not be allowed to sit the case, e.g. a conflict of interest.
5. n. law The act of appealing a ruling or decision of a court of administrative agency.
6. n. law The act of seeking to remove a judge, arbitrator or other judicial or semi-judicial figure for reasons of alleged bias or incapacity.
7. n. sports An attempt to take possession; a tackle
8. v. To invite someone to take part in a competition.
9. v. To dare someone.
10. v. To dispute something.
11. v. law To make a formal objection to a juror.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. An invitation to engage in a contest or controversy of any kind; a defiance; specifically, a summons to fight a duel; also, the letter or message conveying the summons.
2. n. The act of a sentry in halting any one who appears at his post, and demanding the countersign.
3. n. obsolete A claim or demand.
4. n. (Hunting) The opening and crying of hounds at first finding the scent of their game.
5. n. (Law) An exception to a juror or to a member of a court martial, coupled with a demand that he should be held incompetent to act; the claim of a party that a certain person or persons shall not sit in trial upon him or his cause.
6. n. United States An exception to a person as not legally qualified to vote. The challenge must be made when the ballot is offered.
7. v. To call to a contest of any kind; to call to answer; to defy.
8. v. To call, invite, or summon to answer for an offense by personal combat.
9. v. To claim as due; to demand as a right.
10. v. obsolete To censure; to blame.
11. v. (Mil.) To question or demand the countersign from (one who attempts to pass the lines)
12. v. To take exception to; question.
13. v. (Law) To object to or take exception to, as to a juror, or member of a court.
14. v. United States To object to the reception of the vote of, as on the ground that the person in not qualified as a voter.
15. v. To assert a right; to claim a place.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. take exception to
2. n. a call to engage in a contest or fight
3. n. a demand by a sentry for a password or identification
4. n. a formal objection to the selection of a particular person as a juror
5. v. ask for identification
6. n. a demanding or stimulating situation
7. v. issue a challenge to
8. v. raise a formal objection in a court of law
9. n. questioning a statement and demanding an explanation