compensate
Americanverb (used with object)
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compensates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
compensated,
past participle, past
-
compensating
present participle
-
to recompense for something.
They gave him ten dollars to compensate him for his trouble.
- Synonyms:
- pay, reward, remunerate
-
to counterbalance; offset; be equivalent to.
He compensated his homely appearance with great personal charm.
- Synonyms:
- countervail, counterpoise
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Mechanics. to counterbalance (a force or the like); adjust or construct so as to offset or counterbalance variations or produce equilibrium.
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to change the gold content of (a monetary unit) to counterbalance price fluctuations and thereby stabilize its purchasing power.
verb (used without object)
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compensates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
compensated,
past participle, past
-
compensating
present participle
-
to provide or be an equivalent; make up; make amends (usually followed byfor ).
His occasional courtesies did not compensate for his general rudeness.
- Synonyms:
- atone
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Psychology. to develop or employ mechanisms of compensation.
verb
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to make amends to (someone), esp for loss or injury
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(tr) to serve as compensation or damages for (injury, loss, etc)
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to offset or counterbalance the effects of (a force, weight, movement, etc) so as to nullify the effects of an undesirable influence and produce equilibrium
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(intr) to attempt to conceal or offset one's shortcomings by the exaggerated exhibition of qualities regarded as desirable
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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compensatornoun
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precompensateverb (used with object)
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recompensateverb (used with object)
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subcompensateverb (used with object)
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compensatoryadjective
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noncompensatedadjective
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noncompensatingadjective
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uncompensatedadjective
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uncompensatingadjective
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well-compensatedadjective
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compensatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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compensatesimple
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compensatessimple
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have compensatedperfect
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has compensatedperfect
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am compensatingprogressive
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are compensatingprogressive
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is compensatingprogressive
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have been compensatingperfect progressive
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has been compensatingperfect progressive
Past
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compensatedsimple
-
had compensatedperfect
-
was compensatingprogressive
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were compensatingprogressive
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had been compensatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of compensate
First recorded in 1640–50, compensate is from the Latin word compēnsātus (past participle of compēnsāre to counterbalance, originally, to weigh together). See com-, pensive, -ate 1
Explanation
Compensate is about correcting for an imbalance. If you step in an unmarked pothole, the city may compensate you by paying your doctor bills treating a broken ankle. Compensate can also mean "to adjust for." So, if you did stumble into the pothole and injure your left leg, then you might compensate by leaning heavily on your right leg. Increasingly, compensate is used in place of pay. Day laborers are paid for their time, but executives are more likely to be compensated with a suite that includes salary and other benefits––what is commonly referred to as a compensation package.
Vocabulary lists containing compensate
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 2
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The Crucible
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The stakes are also high for President Xi Jinping, however, with China heavily reliant on exports to compensate for its weak domestic economy.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
The chief economist said workers are likely to seek an increase in pay to compensate for the purchasing power they have lost as a result of higher energy prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
This selectively weakened the cells responsible for driving the disease while normal blood forming stem cells were better able to compensate.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
Will these things adequately compensate people for falling living standards?
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
The Maycomb County High School principal was a Mr. Charles Tuffett, who to compensate for his name, habitually wore an expression that made him resemble the Indian on a five-cent piece.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
His payment of $74,330 will go into the Lacey Act Reward Fund, which compensates tipsters who report wildlife crimes, federal authorities said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026
MPs heard the Horizon Shortfall Scheme, which compensates some victims, was "broken".
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
In other words, when incoming visual signals are reduced, the brain compensates by pulling stored images and experiences from memory.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 15, 2026
And he compensates for Mr. Sanders’s silence by having “hundreds of hours of conversation with dozens of individuals”—including Bernie’s loquacious older brother, Larry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
However, musically, it is quite advanced in that as you gradually silence the letter of the word B-I-N-G-O, the brain compensates for the missing pitch and rhythm using the inner ear.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
This might not stop willful regulators who want to stop a project approved by their predecessors, but at least developers would be compensated for losses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
After the attacks, Charles led a campaign to ensure the families and dependants of victims of the attacks were fairly compensated.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Uber drivers are compensated at varying rates in different countries, and many have complained of not receiving adequate compensation for their work and the use of their vehicles.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Right now, I think we are being more than compensated.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
She and Glen were dirt poor, but Marsha had always compensated for the things she couldn’t give her kids by giving them all of her heart.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
They are all issues World Athletics has sought to begin addressing with the biennial Ultimate Championship, while also compensating the athletes with record prize money.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
"The nervous system adopts a safety-first approach, compensating for age-related changes by favoring stability over performance," says Associate Professor Immink, Lead of the Active Lives Research Program within the Caring Futures Institute at Flinders University.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
It is compensating for the stagnant auto market by making power-chip solutions and optical cable for data centers.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
However, supervisors said that the responsibility for compensating affected residents likely rests with GKN.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
As soon as this was accomplished, she would satisfy herself that the twins were properly taken care of, and perhaps allow them some sort of compensating treat.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
