compensate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
-
Mechanics. to counterbalance (a force or the like); adjust or construct so as to offset or counterbalance variations or produce equilibrium.
-
to change the gold content of (a monetary unit) to counterbalance price fluctuations and thereby stabilize its purchasing power.
verb (used without object)
-
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
-
Psychology. to develop or employ mechanisms of compensation.
verb
-
to make amends to (someone), esp for loss or injury
-
(tr) to serve as compensation or damages for (injury, loss, etc)
-
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
-
(intr) to attempt to conceal or offset one's shortcomings by the exaggerated exhibition of qualities regarded as desirable
Other Word Forms
- compensatingly adverb
- compensator noun
- compensatory adjective
- noncompensated adjective
- noncompensating adjective
- precompensate verb (used with object)
- recompensate verb (used with object)
- subcompensate verb (used with object)
- uncompensated adjective
- uncompensating adjective
- well-compensated adjective
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
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.
They often compensate villagers when carnivores kill their livestock or herbivores eat their crops.
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.
The military is compensating for a lack of infantry by continually improving its drone capabilities.
What’s Next: CMS said it may also overturn a separate money-making billing procedure—part of that plan would be aimed at improving the accuracy of payments to ensure Medicare insurers are adequately compensated.
From Barron's
Under a scheme known as "Contracts for Difference", low-carbon electricity suppliers are compensated if their agreed "strike price" is above the wholesale cost of electricity on the open market.
From BBC
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.
