Idiom
give a run for your money
Meanings
To provide strong competition, making someone work hard to win.
To seriously challenge a person, team, or company, nearly matching their ability or success.
Definition
To give a run for your money means to challenge someone strongly and almost beat them.
If someone gives you a run for your money, they compete with you so well that winning is difficult. You may still win, but only with effort. It is often used about sports, games, business, or any contest where the opponent is surprisingly strong.
Examples
- Our team gave the champions a run for their money, even though we lost by one point.
- She’s new to the job, but she gave her more experienced coworker a run for her money on the project.
- I didn’t expect the puzzle to be hard, but it gave me a run for my money.
- They gave the top-ranked school a run for their money in the debate final.
- He thought the interview would be easy, but the questions gave him a run for his money.
Common mistake
Learners often say “give a run to your money,” but the correct form is “give a run for your money.”
More at B2 level
- Bob's your uncle Used to say that something will be easy or will happen exactly as expected after a simple step.
- touch base To touch base means to briefly contact someone to share updates, confirm plans, or check progress.
- ballpark figure A ballpark figure is an approximate number or estimate, not an exact one.
- take the mickey To take the mickey means to mock someone or tease them in an unkind or cheeky way.
- cheap as chips Very cheap; costing very little money.
More idioms
- Bob's your uncle Used to say that something will be easy or will happen exactly as expected after a simple step.
- close but no cigar Used to say someone almost succeeded but did not quite achieve the goal.
- down to the wire Used to say something is decided or finished only at the last possible moment.
- lost the plot To become confused or behave in a way that no longer makes sense.
- ducks in a row To have everything organized and ready for action.