compensate 1 of 2

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

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2
as in to pay
to give (someone) the sum of money owed for goods or services received compensate them well for their efforts

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

compensate (for)

2 of 2

verb (2)

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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of compensate
Verb
Customers could always override the shifts and utilities would be allowed to compensate participants through annual payments or a case-by-case basis, Klopfenstein said. Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025 Formally recognizing and educating the public about the essential role the Rapa Nui played in the eventual discovery of rapamycin is key to compensating them for their contributions. Ted Powers, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2025 In the case of watchmakers who are no longer living, like George Daniels, Marteau will compensate the watchmaker’s private foundation. Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 29 Sep. 2025 If we were somehow compensated for that, maybe, but nobody gives us a choice in anything. Allaire Nuss, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 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 8 Oct. 2025.

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