Meanings
verbcompensate (third-person singular simple present compensates, present participle compensating, simple past and past participle compensated)
present singular third person compensates · participle present compensating · participle past compensated · past compensated · first person past singular compensated · archaic present second person singular compensatest · past second person singular compensated · archaic past second person singular compensatedst · present singular third person compensates · archaic present singular third person compensateth · past singular third person compensated · past plural compensated · past subjunctive compensated · participle present compensating · participle past compensated
- To do (something good) after (something bad) happens.
- ambitransitiveTo make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct, satisfy; to reach an agreement such that the scales are literally or (metaphorically) balanced; to equalize or make even.
His loud voice cannot compensate for a lack of personality.
3 more examples
To compensate me for his tree landing on my shed, my neighbor paved my driveway.
The length of the night and the dews thereof do compensate the heat of the day.
1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “(please specify the page, or |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC, Preface The pleasures of life do not compensate the miseries.
- To adjust or adapt to a change, often a harm or deprivation.
To compensate for his broken leg, Gary uses crutches.
1 more example
I hate that old car because it steers a little to the left and I'm always compensating for that when I drive it.
Synonyms: acclimatize
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration.
Similar
verbTo make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct, satisfy; to reach an agreement such that the scales are literally or (metaphorically) balanced; to equalize or make even.
verbTo adjust or adapt to a change, often a harm or deprivation.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
verbadjust for
Similar
verbmake up for shortcomings or a feeling of inferiority by exaggerating good qualities
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincompēnsātus
- Englishcompensate
Borrowed from Latin compēnsātus, perfect passive participle of compensō (“to weight together one thing against another, balance, make good”), -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian обезщетявам, компенсирам
- обезщетявам (obezštetjavam)to pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- компенсирам (kompensiram)to pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- балансирам (balansiram)to balance the scales, to equalize, to reach equilibrium
- компенсирам (kompensiram)to make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
Catalan compensar, compensar
- compensarto pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- compensarto balance the scales, to equalize, to reach equilibrium
- compensarto make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
Chinese Mandarin 报酬, 弥补
- 报酬 (bàochóu)to pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- 弥补 (míbǔ)to make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
Dutch compenseren, goedmaken
- compenserento make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
- goedmakento make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
Esperanto konservi
- konservito make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
Finnish hyvittää, korvata
- hyvittääto pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- korvatato pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- kompensoidato make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
French compenser
- compenserto make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
German kompensieren, ausgleichen
- kompensierento do (something good) after (something bad) happens
- ausgleichento do (something good) after (something bad) happens
- wiedergutmachento do (something good) after (something bad) happens
- eine Kompensation zahlento pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- vergütento pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- entgeltento pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- ausgleichento balance the scales, to equalize, to reach equilibrium
- aufwiegento balance the scales, to equalize, to reach equilibrium
- kompensierento make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
- ausgleichento make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
- wettmachento make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
- ausbügelnto make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
Hebrew תִּגְמֵל, פִּצָּה
- תִּגְמֵל (tigmél)to pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- פִּצָּה (pitsá)to make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
Hungarian kompenzál, kárpótol
- kompenzálto do (something good) after (something bad) happens
- kárpótolto pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- kártalanítto pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- kiegyensúlyozto balance the scales, to equalize, to reach equilibrium
- kiegyenlítto balance the scales, to equalize, to reach equilibrium
- kompenzálto balance the scales, to equalize, to reach equilibrium
- ellensúlyozto balance the scales, to equalize, to reach equilibrium
- ellentételezto balance the scales, to equalize, to reach equilibrium
- kompenzálto make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
- ellensúlyozto make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
- pótolto make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
- kompenzálto adjust or adapt to a change, often a harm or deprivation
Irish cúitigh, cúitigh
- cúitighto pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- cúitighto make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
Italian compensare, compensare
- compensareto do (something good) after (something bad) happens
- compensareto pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- bilanciareto balance the scales, to equalize, to reach equilibrium
Japanese 補填する, 補填する
- 補填する (hoten suru)to pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- 補填する (hoten suru)to make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
Latin compensō, tueor
- compensōto do (something good) after (something bad) happens
- tueorto pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- compensōto balance the scales, to equalize, to reach equilibrium
- compensōto make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
Norwegian kompensere, kompensere
- kompensereto pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- kompensereto make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
Polish kompensować, skompensować
- kompensowaćto do (something good) after (something bad) happens
- skompensowaćto do (something good) after (something bad) happens
- równoważyćto do (something good) after (something bad) happens
- zrównoważyćto do (something good) after (something bad) happens
- wyrównywaćto do (something good) after (something bad) happens
- wyrównaćto do (something good) after (something bad) happens
- rekompensowaćto pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- zrekompensowaćto pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
Portuguese compensar, recompensar
- compensarto pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- recompensarto pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- pagarto pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- compensarto make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
- recompensarto make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
Romanian compensa
- compensato pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
Russian компенси́ровать, возмеща́ть
- компенси́ровать (kompensírovatʹ)to do (something good) after (something bad) happens
- возмеща́ть (vozmeščátʹ)to do (something good) after (something bad) happens
- возмести́ть (vozmestítʹ)to do (something good) after (something bad) happens
- заплатить (zaplatitʹ)to pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- расплачиваться (rasplačivatʹsja)to pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- скомпенси́ровать (skompensírovatʹ)to balance the scales, to equalize, to reach equilibrium
- сбалансировать (sbalansirovatʹ)to balance the scales, to equalize, to reach equilibrium
- уравновешивать (uravnovešivatʹ)to balance the scales, to equalize, to reach equilibrium
- компенси́ровать (kompensírovatʹ)to make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
- возмеща́ть (vozmeščátʹ)to make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
- возмести́ть (vozmestítʹ)to make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
Scottish Gaelic dìol, dìol
- dìolto pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- dìolto make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
Spanish compensar, compensar
- compensarto do (something good) after (something bad) happens
- compensarto pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- compensarto balance the scales, to equalize, to reach equilibrium
- compensarto make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
- compensarto adjust or adapt to a change, often a harm or deprivation
Turkish zararını karşılamak (indemnify), hakkını vermek
- zararını karşılamak (indemnify)to pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- hakkını vermekto pay or reward someone in exchange for work done or some other consideration
- telafi etmekto make up for; to do something in place of something else; to correct or fill
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with compensate
datestategreatratecreateupdateweightlatecertificatewaiteightstraightplatechocolatedebatehategatedonateevaluatelocatekatealternatetranslatemate
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
compensate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/compensate
MLA
“compensate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/compensate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “compensate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/compensate.
Source: compensate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.