1
as in to reimburse
to provide (someone) with a just payment for loss or injury
you'll have to compensate the neighbors for cutting down their tree
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to offset
to balance with an equal force so as to make ineffective
a mafioso thinking that he can compensate for the evil he's done by giving to charity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of compensate
Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2025
The overall rotational speed of the Earth system must stay steady, so if a component’s movement changes, then the overall planet has to compensate.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 31 July 2025
But that diligence also extends to making sure his key personnel are being compensated appropriately.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 30 July 2025
But as time went by, pressure built for the U.N. to not only acknowledge its role but to apologize and compensate victims.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for compensate
Verb
At least one other similar lawsuit is pending in Jackson County Circuit court, which could increase the city’s costs above the $2.3 million already spent so far to compensate employees who say Platt unfairly ended their careers at City Hall.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2025
The overall rotational speed of the Earth system must stay steady, so if a component’s movement changes, then the overall planet has to compensate.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 31 July 2025
But that diligence also extends to making sure his key personnel are being compensated appropriately.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 30 July 2025
But as time went by, pressure built for the U.N. to not only acknowledge its role but to apologize and compensate victims.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for compensate
Cite this Entry
“Compensate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compensate. Accessed 14 Aug. 2025.
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