as in to offset
to balance with an equal force so as to make ineffective
the lavish present almost made up for her forgetting his birthday
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for make up (for)
Verb
-
Fortunately, the unsettling effect is offset by goofy background music, reminding viewers that even the most advanced robots can have a sense of humor on Halloween.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025 -
The cash boost helped offset an operating cash deficit in the latter season of nearly €200million.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
To that point, the settlement attempts to correct an economic harm and cannot address possible harms that are contemplated by other areas of law.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Therefore, fairness dictates that blue states take action and gerrymander to the greatest extent allowed under federal law to correct the unfair advantage taken by Republicans, thereby leveling the playing field.—
Marc Lampe,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Pecans Pecans are loaded with polyphenolic compounds, especially ellagic acid and flavonoids, which help neutralize free radicals, unstable molecules that lead to cell damage.—
Lauren Panoff,
Verywell Health,
30 Oct. 2025
-
While most scented soaps do a mediocre job of masking food smells with harsh, cheap fragrances, Naomi’s scrub neutralizes offending odors with bread-yeast enzymes, then leaves behind subtle, but incredibly luxurious notes of bergamot, black pepper, sandalwood, and ginger.—
Editors of Bon Appétit,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
29 Oct. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Make up (for).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/make%20up%20%28for%29. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share