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Challenge   /tʃˈæləndʒ/   Listen
noun
Challenge  n.  
1.
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. "A challenge to controversy."
2.
The act of a sentry in halting any one who appears at his post, and demanding the countersign.
3.
A claim or demand. (Obs.) "There must be no challenge of superiority."
4.
(Hunting) The opening and crying of hounds at first finding the scent of their game.
5.
(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.
An exception to a person as not legally qualified to vote. The challenge must be made when the ballot is offered. (U. S.)
Challenge to the array (Law), an exception to the whole panel.
Challenge to the favor, the alleging a special cause, the sufficiency of which is to be left to those whose duty and office it is to decide upon it.
Challenge to the polls, an exception taken to any one or more of the individual jurors returned.
Peremptory challenge, a privilege sometimes allowed to defendants, of challenging a certain number of jurors (fixed by statute in different States) without assigning any cause.
Principal challenge, that which the law allows to be sufficient if found to be true.



verb
Challenge  v. t.  (past & past part. challenged; pres. part. challenging)  
1.
To call to a contest of any kind; to call to answer; to defy. "I challenge any man to make any pretense to power by right of fatherhood."
2.
To call, invite, or summon to answer for an offense by personal combat. "By this I challenge him to single fight."
3.
To claim as due; to demand as a right. "Challenge better terms."
4.
To censure; to blame. (Obs.) "He complained of the emperors... and challenged them for that he had no greater revenues... from them."
5.
(Mil.) To question or demand the countersign from (one who attempts to pass the lines); as, the sentinel challenged us, with "Who comes there?"
6.
To take exception to; question; as, to challenge the accuracy of a statement or of a quotation.
7.
(Law) To object to or take exception to, as to a juror, or member of a court.
8.
To object to the reception of the vote of, as on the ground that the person in not qualified as a voter. (U. S.)
To challenge to the array, To challenge to the favor, To challenge to the polls. See under Challenge, n.



Challenge  v. i.  To assert a right; to claim a place. "Where nature doth with merit challenge."






Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48








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"Challenge" Quotes from Famous Books



... published a volume of political rhymes, entitled "Margaret Nicholson's Remains," the said Margaret being a woman who tried to assassinate George III. He also wrote a pamphlet in defence of Atheism. A copy of this pamphlet he caused to be sent to the head of each of the colleges in Oxford, with a challenge to discuss and answer.—The answer to this was the edict which expelled Shelley from Oxford, and at the same time placed a wide chasm between him and his family. This breach was still further widened in the following year by his marriage, at the age of nineteen, ...
— Ancient and Modern Celebrated Freethinkers - Reprinted From an English Work, Entitled "Half-Hours With - The Freethinkers." • Charles Bradlaugh, A. Collins, and J. Watts

... implied challenge the trainer perked up and insisted upon having that particular bad animal; so we yielded. He wished him for the special business of turning somersaults, because he had no tail ...
— The Minds and Manners of Wild Animals • William T. Hornaday

... under the uncompromising challenge of a bright sun, Billy began to be uneasily suspicious that she had been just a bit unreasonable and exacting the night before. To make matters worse she chanced to run across a newspaper criticism of a new book bearing ...
— Miss Billy Married • Eleanor H. Porter

... has the door open; he is free to come out or not to come out; but as he has not come out so far, he will not come out to-day. The greatness of your worship's courage has been fully manifested already; no brave champion, so it strikes me, is bound to do more than challenge his enemy and wait for him on the field; if his adversary does not come, on him lies the disgrace, and he who waits for him carries ...
— Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 7 • Charles H. Sylvester

... manoeuvring during the early disaster saved us from ultimate defeat. We had started out from Nashville on an offensive campaign, probably with no intention of going beyond Murfreesboro', in midwinter, but still with the expectation of delivering a crushing blow should the enemy accept our challenge to battle. He met us with a plan of attack almost the counterpart of our own. In the execution of his plan he had many advantages, not the least of which was his intimate knowledge of the ground, and he came near destroying us. Had he done so, Nashville ...
— Memoirs of Three Civil War Generals, Complete • U. S. Grant, W. T. Sherman, P. H. Sheridan


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