make up for (something)

idiom

: to do or have something as a way of correcting or improving (something else)
He wanted to make up for neglecting his children by spending more time with them.
She tried to make up for lost time by working extra hard.
What the movie lacks in plot it makes up for in special effects.

Examples of make up for (something) in a Sentence

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So to make up for it, the baseball gods lined up a Skubal matchup against Houston Astros ace Hunter Brown for tonight's game. Christian Romo, Freep.com, 19 Aug. 2025 No smart model can make up for a dumb, or worse, lazy user. Benjamin Jensen, The Conversation, 18 Aug. 2025 Frank often asks one of his centre-backs to push ahead of the other, which could leave gaps for top opposition to exploit, but Spurs have the athleticism to make up for it in Romero, Van de Ven, and Kevin Danso. Elias Burke, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2025 Below, every pop star attempting to make up for the summer by defining the fall. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for make up for (something)

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Cite this Entry

“Make up for (something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%20up%20for%20%28something%29. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.

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