Adjacent Words

Compensate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

COMPENSATE, v.t.
1. To give equal value to; to recompense; to give an equivalent for services, or an amount lost or bestowed; to return or bestow that which makes good a loss, or is estimated a sufficient remuneration; as, to compensate a laborer for his work, or a merchant for his losses.
2. To be equivalent in value or effect to; to counterbalance; to make amends for.
The length of the night and the dews do compensate the heat of the day.
The pleasures of sin never compensate the sinner for the miseries he suffers, even in this life.
COMPENSATE, v.i. To make amends; to supply an equivalent; followed by for.
Nothing can compensate for the loss of reputation.
This word is generally accented on the second syllable, most unfortunately, as any ear will determine by the feebleness of the last syllables n the participles, compensated, compensating.
Each seeming want compensated of course.
With the primary accent on the first syllable and the secondary accent on the third, this defect and the difficulty of uttering distinctly the last syllables are remedied.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: adjust for; "engineers will work to correct the effects or air resistance" [syn: compensate, counterbalance, correct, make up, even out, even off, even up]
2: make amends for; pay compensation for; "One can never fully repair the suffering and losses of the Jews in the Third Reich"; "She was compensated for the loss of her arm in the accident" [syn: compensate, recompense, repair, indemnify]
3: make up for shortcomings or a feeling of inferiority by exaggerating good qualities; "he is compensating for being a bad father" [syn: cover, compensate, overcompensate]
4: make reparations or amends for; "right a wrongs done to the victims of the Holocaust" [syn: right, compensate, redress, correct] [ant: wrong]
5: do or give something to somebody in return; "Does she pay you for the work you are doing?" [syn: pay, pay off, make up, compensate]
6: make payment to; compensate; "My efforts were not remunerated" [syn: compensate, recompense, remunerate]

Merriam Webster's

verb (-sated; -sating) Etymology: Latin compensatus, past participle of compensare, frequentative of compendere Date: 1646 transitive verb 1. to be equivalent to ; counterbalance 2. to make an appropriate and usually counterbalancing payment to <compensate the victims for their loss> 3. a. to provide with means of counteracting variation b. to neutralize the effect of (variations) intransitive verb 1. to supply an equivalent — used with for 2. to offset an error, defect, or undesired effect <his enthusiasm compensates for his lack of skill> 3. to undergo or engage in psychological or physiological compensation Synonyms: see pay • compensative adjective • compensator noun • compensatory adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. 1 tr. (often foll. by for) recompense (a person) (compensated him for his loss). 2 intr. (usu. foll. by for a thing, to a person) make amends (compensated for the insult; will compensate to her in full). 3 tr. counterbalance. 4 tr. Mech. provide (a pendulum etc.) with extra or less weight etc. to neutralize the effects of temperature etc. 5 intr. Psychol. offset a disability or frustration by development in another direction. Derivatives: compensative adj. compensator n. compensatory adj. Etymology: L compensare (as COM-, pensare frequent. of pendere pens- weigh)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Compensate Com"pen*sate, v. i. To make amends; to supply an equivalent; -- followed by for; as, nothing can compensate for the loss of reputation.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Compensate Com"pen*sate (? or ?; 277), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Compensated; p. pr. & vb. n. Compensating.] [L. compensatus, p. p. of compensare, prop., to weigh several things with one another, to balance with one another, verb intens. fr. compendere. See Compendium.] 1. To make equal return to; to remunerate; to recompense; to give an equivalent to; to requite suitably; as, to compensate a laborer for his work, or a merchant for his losses. 2. To be equivalent in value or effect to; to counterbalance; to make up for; to make amends for. The length of the night and the dews thereof do compensate the heat of the day. --Bacon. The pleasures of life do not compensate the miseries. --Prior. Syn: To recompense; remunerate; indemnify; reward; requite; counterbalance.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(compensates, compensating, compensated) 1. To compensate someone for money or things that they have lost means to pay them money or give them something to replace that money or those things. To ease financial difficulties, farmers could be compensated for their loss of subsidies. VERB: V n for n, also V n 2. If you compensate for a lack of something or for something you have done wrong, you do something to make the situation better. The company agreed to keep up high levels of output in order to compensate for supplies lost... She would then feel guilt for her anger and compensate by doing even more for the children. VERB: V for n, V 3. Something that compensates for something else balances it or reduces its effects. MPs say it is crucial that a system is found to compensate for inflation... VERB: V for n 4. If you try to compensate for something that is wrong or missing in your life, you try to do something that removes or reduces the harmful effects. No supportive words could ever compensate for the pain of being separated from her children for 10 years. VERB: V for n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Counterbalance, counterpoise, countervail, make up for. 2. Recompense, remunerate, reimburse, reward. 3. Requite, indemnify, reimburse, make amends to. II. v. n. Atone, make compensation, make amends.

Moby Thesaurus

abrogate, accommodate, adjust, alternate, amend, annul, atone, atone for, balance, bandy, be quits with, better, cancel, change, commute, cooperate, coordinate, correct, counteract, counterbalance, counterchange, counterpoise, countervail, cover, do penance, emend, equalize, equate, even, even up, exchange, expiate, fee, fill up, fit, fix up, get back at, get even with, get satisfaction, give and take, give satisfaction, guerdon, improve, indemnify, integrate, interchange, invalidate, level, live down, logroll, make all square, make amends, make compensation, make good, make matters up, make reparation, make requital, make restitution, make retribution, make right, make up, make up for, negate, negative, neutralize, nullify, offset, outweigh, pay, pay back, pay by installments, pay damages, pay off, pay on, pay reparations, pay the forfeit, pay the penalty, permute, poise, prepay, propitiate, proportion, put right, put straight, put to rights, quit, reciprocate, recompense, recoup, rectify, redeem, redress, refund, reimburse, remedy, remit, remunerate, render, repair, repay, requite, respond, retaliate, return, return the compliment, reward, right, salary, satisfy, set off, set right, set straight, set to rights, set up, square, square it, square things, strike a balance, swap, switch, tender, trade, transpose