How do you say “Give someone a run for their money” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is jemandem ernsthafte Konkurrenz machen, which literally means “to give someone serious competition”. English speakers use give someone a run for their money to mean to compete strongly against someone. A clear match for strong competition; no payment is implied. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
jemandem ernsthafte Konkurrenz machen
/ˈjeːmandəm ˈɛʁnsthaftə kɔnkʊˈʁɛnts ˈmaxən/
- Literal meaning
- “to give someone serious competition”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
94 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
“Konkurrenz machen” works for teams, businesses and performers. “Ernsthafte” makes clear that the challenge is substantial.
For a person competing with you, say “Sie macht mir ernsthafte Konkurrenz”. It does not tell us who wins.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
Our young team gave the champions a run for their money.
German
Unsere junge Mannschaft machte dem Meister ernsthafte Konkurrenz.
English
That small bakery gives the expensive one a run for its money.
German
Die kleine Bäckerei macht der teuren ernsthafte Konkurrenz.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-04