make it up to

verb

To pay back; to return someone a previous good deed.

“You've been so kind to me, how can I make it up to you?”

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Meanings

verbmake it up to (third-person singular simple present makes it up to, present participle making it up to, simple past and past participle made it up to)

present singular third person makes it up to · participle present making it up to · participle past made it up to · past made it up to

  1. idiomatictransitiveTo pay back; to return someone a previous good deed.

    You've been so kind to me, how can I make it up to you?

    1 more example

    After John gave her a lovely wooly hat for her birthday, she wanted to make it up to him so she took him out for dinner.

  2. idiomatictransitiveTo redeem oneself.

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 回報 /回报, 報恩 /报恩
  • 回報 /回报 (huíbào)return someone a previous good deed
  • 報恩 /报恩 (bào'ēn)return someone a previous good deed
  • 自我救贖 /自我救赎 (zìwǒ jiùshú)to redeem onself
  • 洗心革面 (xǐxīngémiàn)to redeem onself
Finnish korvata, hyvittää
  • korvatareturn someone a previous good deed
  • hyvittääreturn someone a previous good deed
  • hyvittääto redeem onself
Italian ricambiare
  • ricambiarereturn someone a previous good deed
Spanish recompensar, resarcir
  • recompensarreturn someone a previous good deed
  • resarcirreturn someone a previous good deed
  • compensarloreturn someone a previous good deed
  • recuperarloreturn someone a previous good deed
Cite this entry
APA

make it up to. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20it%20up%20to

MLA

“make it up to.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20it%20up%20to. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “make it up to,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20it%20up%20to.

Source: make it up to on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.