Word
compensate
Meanings
to give someone something (often money) because they suffered a loss, damage, or inconvenience
to make up for a weakness or problem by doing something else that balances it
Definition
To compensate means to make up for a loss, weakness, or inconvenience by providing something in return or by adjusting your actions.
To compensate is to reduce the effect of something negative by giving an equivalent benefit or by doing something that balances it. You can compensate someone by giving money, time, or another form of payment for harm or extra work. You can also compensate for a problem by changing your behavior or using another method to achieve a similar result.
Examples
- The airline offered to compensate passengers for the long delay with hotel rooms and meals.
- To compensate for his limited experience, he prepared extensively and asked precise questions in the interview.
- She tried to compensate for the noisy street by using thick curtains and a white-noise machine at night.
- They compensated the volunteers by covering travel costs and providing meals during the event.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse "compensate" with "compliment" and may wrongly say "compensate someone" without specifying what it is for (use "compensate someone for something").
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More verbs
- analyze To examine something carefully in order to understand it or explain it.
- scrutinize To scrutinize something is to examine it very carefully and in detail.
- affect To affect something is to influence it or cause it to change.
- allude To allude means to mention or suggest something indirectly without saying it clearly.
- elude To elude someone or something is to avoid being caught, understood, or remembered.