compensate

compensate — verb

1. to give money to someone who has suffered harm, a loss, or damage to their prope

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to give money to someone who has suffered harm, a loss, or damage to their property, as a way of making the situation fair.

Example

The airline compensated passengers for the delayed flight by offering free hotel rooms.

compensate + person + for + noun phrase

After the storm damaged their roof, the insurer compensated the Tanaka family within two weeks.

Common collocations
  • compensate someone for
  • compensate someone with
  • fully compensated
  • fairly compensated
  • compensate for loss
  • compensate for damage
Synonyms
  • reimburse

    more specific — paying back money someone already spent

  • recompense

    formal; often used for effort or sacrifice, not just financial loss

Antonyms
  • penalize

    to punish someone, the opposite of making them whole

Grammar Patterns

compensate + someone + for + something

Usage Note

The direct object is always the person who receives the money; the loss or damage follows the preposition 'for'.

Common Mistakes

The company compensated the damage to the car.
The company compensated the driver for the damage to the car.
The person affected must be the direct object, not the thing lost or damaged.
The bank compensated me $500.
The bank compensated me with $500 for the error.
When stating the amount, use 'with' or restructure the sentence.

2. to give someone payment for the work, time, or professional help they have provi

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to give someone payment for the work, time, or professional help they have provided.

Example

The law firm compensated Priya for the extra hours she worked preparing the case.

compensate + name + for + work done

The hospital compensated Dr. Okafor for her consulting services over three months.

Common collocations
  • compensate someone for
  • compensate someone with
  • adequately compensated
  • compensate for services
  • compensate for work
Synonyms
  • remunerate

    formal; used for professional fees or salary

  • pay

    more general and less formal; no sense of making up for something

Grammar Patterns

compensate + someone + for + noun phrase

Usage Note

Common in formal or legal contexts about professional fees and contracts. Less formal alternatives include 'pay' or 'reimburse'.

Common Mistakes

They compensated $200 for the work.
They compensated Tomás with $200 for the work.
Always include the person receiving the payment as the direct object.

3. to provide a good quality or benefit that balances a previous problem, lack, or

3.verbintransitiveC2
Definition

to provide a good quality or benefit that balances a previous problem, lack, or disadvantage.

Example

The park's beautiful mountain views compensate for the long walk up the hill.

compensate for + noun phrase (the drawback)

No amount of money can compensate for the time Nadia lost with her family abroad.

Common collocations
  • compensate for
  • more than compensate for
  • compensate in part
  • compensate somewhat
Synonyms
  • offset

    more neutral; focuses on balancing rather than making amends

  • make up for

    less formal; used in everyday speech

Antonyms
  • undermine

    to weaken or damage, the opposite of balancing out

Grammar Patterns

compensate + for + noun phrase

Usage Note

Intransitive — always followed by the preposition 'for'. The subject provides the benefit; the object of 'for' names the drawback or shortcoming.

Common Mistakes

Good service compensated the bad food.
Good service compensated for the bad food.
This sense is intransitive and requires the preposition 'for' before the drawback.
Her skills compensate his weakness.
Her skills compensate for his weakness.
Without 'for', the sentence is grammatically incorrect in this sense.

Word family

  • compensation
    nounB2
  • compensatory
    adjectiveC1
  • compensating
    adjectiveC1
  • uncompensated
    adjectiveC2
  • overcompensate
    verbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words involve giving something (usually money) to someone who has suffered harm or spent money, but they differ in scope and formality. 'Compensate' is the broadest term — it covers any payment made to balance out a loss or inconvenience, whether for damages, work, or a shortcoming. 'Reimburse' is narrower: it specifically means paying someone back for money they have already spent out of pocket, such as travel costs or medical bills. 'Recompense' is more formal and often implies payment for effort, sacrifice, or trouble rather than a precise financial loss — a writer might be recompensed for the time spent on a manuscript. 'Indemnify' is a legal term meaning to protect someone against future loss or to pay for a loss under an insurance policy or contract. In everyday contexts, 'compensate' is the safest choice; 'indemnify' should be reserved for legal or insurance settings.

compensate ↗reimburserecompenseindemnify

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • compensate someone for something
  • compensate for something
  • be compensated for

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

'Compensate' entered English in the mid-1600s from Latin 'compensatus', the past participle of 'compensare', meaning 'to weigh together' or 'to balance'. The Latin word is formed from 'com-' (together) and 'pensare' (to weigh, to ponder), a frequentative form of 'pendere' (to hang, to weigh). The original image is of balancing scales — placing one thing on each side to make them equal. Over time, the meaning shifted from a literal weighing to the financial and metaphorical sense of 'making things equal' by giving something of value in return.