compensate
KOM-puhn-sayt
Compensate (verb) means to pay someone money to make up for a loss, injury, or inconvenience. Example: “The airline compensated passengers for the cancelled flight.”
verb
1
To pay someone money to make up for a loss, injury, or inconvenience.
"The airline compensated passengers for the cancelled flight."
"The company compensated her for the damaged equipment."
"The landlord agreed to compensate us for the flood damage to our belongings."
2
To make up for a weakness or problem by adjusting something else.
"He spoke louder to compensate for the noisy room."
"Plenty of practice can compensate for a lack of natural talent."
"She wore thick socks to compensate for the cold floor."
How to use compensate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo balance something out — either by paying for a loss or by adjusting to offset a weakness.
Common pairings
compensate for
fully compensate
compensate victims
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like compensate.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Third person singular
- compensates
- Past tense
- compensated
- Archaic forms
- compensatest, compensatedst, compensateth
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The airline _____ passengers for the cancelled flight.
Etymology
From Latin compensare, "to weigh one thing against another," from com- ("together") plus pensare ("to weigh").
Synonyms
View more →
pay back
balance out
counterbalance
make amends
offset losses
reimburse
offset
acclimate
accommodate
accustom
adapt
accord
Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for compensate
See all rhymes for compensate →Frequently asked questions
What does “compensate” mean?
The word “compensate” means to pay someone money to make up for a loss, injury, or inconvenience. In plain terms, to balance something out — either by paying for a loss or by adjusting to offset a weakness.
How do you pronounce “compensate”?
“Compensate” is pronounced KOM-puhn-sayt (/ˈkɑm.pənˌseɪt/ in IPA).
How do you use “compensate” in a sentence?
Here is “compensate” used in a sentence: “The airline compensated passengers for the cancelled flight.”
What is another word for “compensate”?
Words with a similar meaning to “compensate” include reimburse, offset, acclimate, accommodate, accustom and adapt.
What part of speech is “compensate”?
“Compensate” is a verb.
Where does the word “compensate” come from?
The word “compensate” comes from Latin. From Latin compensare, "to weigh one thing against another," from com- ("together") plus pensare ("to weigh").
Is “compensate” a common word?
“Compensate” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.
How many meanings does “compensate” have?
“Compensate” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to pay someone money to make up for a loss, injury, or inconvenience.
What is the difference between compensate and reimburse?
Compensate broadly means to pay someone to make up for a loss, injury, or inconvenience, while reimburse specifically means to repay someone for money they already spent, such as expenses. Reimburse is essentially a narrower form of compensation focused on repaying a specific cost.
How is compensate used to describe fixing a weakness rather than paying money?
Compensate also means to make up for a weakness or problem by adjusting something else, such as a design compensating for a mechanical flaw, or a person compensating for poor eyesight with a better sense of hearing. This sense has nothing to do with money.
Is compensate used in both financial and non-financial contexts?
Yes, compensate covers both meanings: paying money to make up for a loss or injury, such as compensating an injured worker, and adjusting or balancing something non-monetary to offset a weakness, such as a team compensating for a weak defense with strong offense.
