1
as in compensation
payment to another for a loss or injury
the jury awarded an additional $5,000 in recompense for physical pain and suffering
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2
as in payment
something (as money) that is given or received in return for goods or services
the volunteer expects nothing more than sincere thanks as recompense for his efforts
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to compensate
to give (someone) the sum of money owed for goods or services received
the cash-strapped museum can recompense lecturers with only token honorariums
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to reimburse
to provide (someone) with a just payment for loss or injury
the government has yet to adequately recompense the property owners for the land taken for the new highway
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to repay
to make a return for
the wealthy gentleman told the poor little girl she could recompense his generosity simply by enjoying her new toys
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of recompense
Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 6 June 2025
Some states and localities have filed lawsuits seeking recompense for the damage allegedly caused to their area by climate change.
—Josiah Neeley, Oc Register, 21 May 2025
Mary Norris, The New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2023
European countries like Germany and the UK have shored up money for their violent role in suppressing Namibian and Kenyan protests, but the Netherlands is the first to publicly acknowledge and recompense for slavery.
—Jasmine Browley, Essence, 23 Sep. 2022
See All Example Sentences for recompense
Noun
Bates is pained to see teenagers (representing 12% of the city population), brazenly and without recompense, running around, destroying the lives of others, and also for those whose lives were cut short in middle age by said juveniles.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 6 June 2025
Some states and localities have filed lawsuits seeking recompense for the damage allegedly caused to their area by climate change.
—Josiah Neeley, Oc Register, 21 May 2025
Verb
Thurber complained to him about being asked to recompense The New Yorker for a sixty-dollar overpayment; writers got paid by the word (still do), and the accounting department had calculated that the final word count on a certain Thurber story was less than the original word count.
—Mary Norris, The New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2023
European countries like Germany and the UK have shored up money for their violent role in suppressing Namibian and Kenyan protests, but the Netherlands is the first to publicly acknowledge and recompense for slavery.
—Jasmine Browley, Essence, 23 Sep. 2022
See All Example Sentences for recompense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recompense
Noun
-
And the new role had a different sort of perk, in the form of compensation.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
In 2025, green jobs offer not just solid compensation but also the chance to influence policy, equity, and resilience.—
Monica Sanders,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Likewise, the internet has made fundraising much easier with the use of online payment methods, which are easy to set up and difficult to trace.—
Richard Frankel,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
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In most cases, at least 75% of federal funds must go directly to wages and benefits for participants, with the payments usually being made by the local and statewide organizations that recruit the participants and place them into host agencies.—
Cal J. Halvorsen,
The Conversation,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Most available positions are informal, poorly compensated and offer little stability or room for career growth.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
-
That’s the extent to which Netzer was considered the key man beforehand, but his poor form eventually cost him a place in the West German starting XI, and the side compensated for his absence through discipline and energy rather than flair.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In 2022, things came to a head when the company not only failed to pay its vendors but also ceased communication with their customers.—
Amanda Lauren,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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The buyers also agree to pay those growers a small premium that is passed down to their workers.—
Max Blau,
ProPublica,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
States’ restitution penalties are established to deter poaching, but also to ensure the wildlife agency is reimbursed for the loss of a poached trophy animal.—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
11 Sep. 2025
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Homeowners may be reimbursed for costs associated with flood damage now that federal relief has been approved, and the county will also be able to seek reimbursement for public damage.—
JR Radcliffe,
jsonline.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And yet, for their labor, they are repaid with fear and betrayal.—
Israel Melendez Ayala,
Time,
16 Sep. 2025
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The corporate debtor’s intent to repay the loan comports with its economic reality.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Is there anything to fear in the way Shillingford describes what reparations for Black and Indigenous people looks like to her?—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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Its first-ever color feature, In the Shadow of Honor, which was going to be filmed in Indonesia, was canceled due to disagreements between the two countries related to colonial war reparations.—
Michael Taube,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The case, part of an ongoing lawfare effort in which local governments have been recruited to serve as plaintiffs, sought to hold the companies liable for damages the island suffered as a result of Hurricane Maria, which struck Puerto Rico in 2017.—
David Blackmon,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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The family is seeking $50 million in damages.—
Veronica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Recompense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recompense. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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