CHALLENGE, n. Literally, a calling, or crying out, the primary sense of many words expressing a demand, as claim. Hence appropriately,

1. A calling upon one to fight in single combat; an invitation or summons, verbal or written, to decide a controversy a duel. Hence the letter containing the summons is also called a challenge.
2. A claim or demand made of a right or supposed right. There must be no challenge of superiority. – Collier.
3. Among hunters, the opening and crying of hounds at first finding the scent of their game. – Encyc.
4. In law, an exception to jurors; the claim of a party that certain jurors shall not sit in trial upon him or his cause; that is, a calling them off. The right of challenge is given both in civil and criminal trials, for certain causes which are supposed to disqualify a juror to be an impartial judge. The right of challenge extends either to the whole panel or array, or only to particular jurors, called a challenge to the polls. A principal challenge is that which the law allows without cause assigned. A challenge to the favor, is when the party alledges a special cause. In criminal cases, a prisoner may challenge twenty jurors, without assigning a cause. This is called a peremptory challenge. – Blackstone.

1. To call, invite or summon to answer for an offense by single combat, or duel.
2. To call to a contest; to invite to a trial; as, I challenge a man to prove what he asserts, implying defiance.
3. To accuse; to call to answer. – Spenser. Shak.
4. To claim as due; to demand as a right; as, the Supreme Being challenges our reverence and homage.
5. In law, to call off a juror, or jurors; or to demand that jurors shall not sit in trial upon a cause. [See the noun.]
6. To call to the performance of conditions.

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.
   Goldsmith.

2. 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.
   Locke.

3. To assert a right; to claim a place.
   
   

   Where nature doth with merit challenge.
   Shak.

4. The act of a sentry in halting any one who appears at his post, and demanding the countersign.
5. To call, invite, or summon to answer for an offense by personal combat.
   
   

   By this I challenge him to single fight.
   Shak.

6. A claim or demand.
   
   
   [Obs.]

   There must be no challenge of superiority.
   Collier.

7. To claim as due; to demand as a right.
   
   

   Challenge better terms.
   Addison.

8. The opening and crying of hounds at first finding the scent of their game.
9. To censure; to blame.
   
   
   [Obs.]

   He complained of the emperors . . . and challenged them for that he had no greater revenues . . . from them.
   Holland.

10. 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.
    
    
    Blackstone
11. To question or demand the countersign from (one who attempts to pass the lines); as, the sentinel challenged us, with "Who comes there?"
12. 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.

13. To take exception to; question; as, to challenge the accuracy of a statement or of a quotation.
14. To object to or take exception to, as to a juror, or member of a court.
15. 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, favor, polls. See under Challenge, n.