"run for one's money" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "The idiom likely originates with horse racing, where one can get enjoyment \"from watching the race even if one does not win much.\" Its usage was first recorded in 1874.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "a run for one's money",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "noun",
        "head": "a run for one's money"
      },
      "expansion": "a run for one's money",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "77 23",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1918, Peter B. Kyne, chapter 24, in The Valley of the Giants",
          "text": "If your competitor regards you as a menace to his pocketbook, he can give you a nice little run for your money and delay you indefinitely.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2003 April 3, Mitch Frank, “Why Primaries Matter”, in Time",
          "text": "After beating Bush in New Hampshire, McCain gave him a two month run for his money. Bush had to prove he wasn't just a famous name.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A difficult challenge for the person indicated, especially one involving a competitive situation."
      ],
      "id": "en-run_for_one's_money-en-noun-3nsTrLvn",
      "links": [
        [
          "difficult",
          "difficult"
        ],
        [
          "challenge",
          "challenge"
        ],
        [
          "competitive",
          "competitive"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) A difficult challenge for the person indicated, especially one involving a competitive situation."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "word": "have one's work cut out for one"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "word": "money's worth"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1913, Rudyard Kipling, chapter 18, in Letters of Travel",
          "text": "He appealed and, by some arrangement or other, got leave to state his case personally to the Court of Revision. Said, I believe, that he did not much trust lawyers, but that if the sahibs would give him a hearing, as man to man, he might have a run for his money.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1917, William MacLeod Raine, chapter 11, in The Sheriff's Son",
          "text": "\"I say he'll get a run for his money. If there's any killing to be done, it will be in fair fight.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A reasonable opportunity to succeed, perform acceptably, or escape harm, especially in a difficult situation."
      ],
      "id": "en-run_for_one's_money-en-noun-qzPS9osA",
      "links": [
        [
          "reasonable",
          "reasonable"
        ],
        [
          "opportunity",
          "opportunity"
        ],
        [
          "succeed",
          "succeed"
        ],
        [
          "acceptably",
          "acceptably"
        ],
        [
          "harm",
          "harm"
        ],
        [
          "difficult",
          "difficult"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, dated) A reasonable opportunity to succeed, perform acceptably, or escape harm, especially in a difficult situation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dated",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-run for one's money.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/7c/En-au-run_for_one%27s_money.ogg/En-au-run_for_one%27s_money.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/En-au-run_for_one%27s_money.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "run for one's money"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with audio links"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "The idiom likely originates with horse racing, where one can get enjoyment \"from watching the race even if one does not win much.\" Its usage was first recorded in 1874.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "a run for one's money",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "noun",
        "head": "a run for one's money"
      },
      "expansion": "a run for one's money",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "have one's work cut out for one"
    },
    {
      "word": "money's worth"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1918, Peter B. Kyne, chapter 24, in The Valley of the Giants",
          "text": "If your competitor regards you as a menace to his pocketbook, he can give you a nice little run for your money and delay you indefinitely.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2003 April 3, Mitch Frank, “Why Primaries Matter”, in Time",
          "text": "After beating Bush in New Hampshire, McCain gave him a two month run for his money. Bush had to prove he wasn't just a famous name.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A difficult challenge for the person indicated, especially one involving a competitive situation."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "difficult",
          "difficult"
        ],
        [
          "challenge",
          "challenge"
        ],
        [
          "competitive",
          "competitive"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) A difficult challenge for the person indicated, especially one involving a competitive situation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English dated terms",
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1913, Rudyard Kipling, chapter 18, in Letters of Travel",
          "text": "He appealed and, by some arrangement or other, got leave to state his case personally to the Court of Revision. Said, I believe, that he did not much trust lawyers, but that if the sahibs would give him a hearing, as man to man, he might have a run for his money.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1917, William MacLeod Raine, chapter 11, in The Sheriff's Son",
          "text": "\"I say he'll get a run for his money. If there's any killing to be done, it will be in fair fight.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A reasonable opportunity to succeed, perform acceptably, or escape harm, especially in a difficult situation."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "reasonable",
          "reasonable"
        ],
        [
          "opportunity",
          "opportunity"
        ],
        [
          "succeed",
          "succeed"
        ],
        [
          "acceptably",
          "acceptably"
        ],
        [
          "harm",
          "harm"
        ],
        [
          "difficult",
          "difficult"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, dated) A reasonable opportunity to succeed, perform acceptably, or escape harm, especially in a difficult situation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dated",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-run for one's money.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/7c/En-au-run_for_one%27s_money.ogg/En-au-run_for_one%27s_money.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/En-au-run_for_one%27s_money.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "run for one's money"
}