for all they were worth
1
7.2
- idiom
:
con todas sus fuerzas
- ASH presses himself against the door for all he's worth, praying that whatever is out there won't get in.
- run for all you are worth
- push for all she is worth
Examples
-
Jeff runs for all he's worth.
Fiction book (1997) -
All of those entities are stomping on the middle class for all they are worth.
Blog text (24) -
What she had to do was put on a show, fake it for all she was worth.
Fiction book (1998) -
Bracey gets up suddenly, yelling for all he is worth.
Fiction book (1998) -
Finnegan throws caution to the winds and runs for all he is worth.
Fiction book (1998) -
Two women on horseback are riding for all they're worth, pursued by two men on horseback.
Fiction book (1993) -
ANGLE ON: Finnegan, fighting for all he is worth, being reeled into the mass of machinery by the tentacle.
Fiction book (1998) -
Prisoner Troy, sweating profusely, starts opening valves for all he's worth.
Fiction book (1992) -
The athlete trained for all he was worth, determined to improve his performance.
-
She argued for all she was worth, trying to convince her boss to grant her a raise.
Synonyms
3
6.5
As much as possible
Antonyms
How Hard
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase links clearly to the idea of using the full value/amount of something (for + all + worth), so a learner who knows the words will get a general sense of using everything they have. However, the jump from 'worth' as value to the idiomatic sense 'use all effort/resources' is metaphorical and not fully predictable without exposure, and similar constructions vary across languages.
Etymology
For all they were worth comes from a simple picture: imagine people putting all their useful things, their worth, into one pile to help with a big job, so they truly give everything they have. That's why it now means 'using all their effort, strength, or resources'.