SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
compensate
verb
To make up for a loss or disadvantage, or to provide payment for work.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Make up for a disadvantage
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topAtone for suggests responsibility for wrongdoing; offset can describe a neutral balancing effect.
Pay for work or loss
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topReimburse repays expenses; indemnify covers specified loss or damage.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See compensate in use
An extra practice session could compensate for the rehearsal that was canceled.
Mara identified an inequity when equally eligible newcomers were assigned only hidden corners while the organizers' friends received every entrance table. To compensate the disadvantaged clubs, the group offered a rotation that gave them comparable time near the entrance.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license