How to Use compensate in a Sentence

compensate

verb
  • The price of the item has been reduced to compensate for a defect.
  • She was not compensated for the damage done to her car.
  • His enthusiasm compensates for his lack of skill.
  • Thin out their top growth to compensate for roots lost in the process.
    — Neil Sperry, star-telegram, 26 Jan. 2018
  • But the gain over time will more than compensate for the near-term pain.
    — Kk Ottesen, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2022
  • Load up on sugar and salt to compensate for the loss of taste from fat.
    — Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 2 Nov. 2017
  • Lawyers, at times, were not compensated at all for this work.
    — Raynee Howell, Oklahoma Watch, 9 Feb. 2026
  • The ones that haven’t pulled out are raising their rates to compensate.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 13 Sep. 2023
  • But other parts of the leg need to compensate.
    — Michal Ruprecht, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Sauron has tried to compensate for that loss by making new friends among the elves.
    — EW.com, 6 Aug. 2024
  • This means users don't need to adjust their seat height to compensate.
    — Ben Coxworth march 24, New Atlas, 24 Mar. 2026
  • The frame’s backing is quite deep, so use a long nail to hang to compensate for the gap.
    — Kate McGregor, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Mar. 2023
  • Who should be compensated, and by how much?
    — Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2026
  • There should be a way for those at major schools to be compensated.
    — Terry Pluto, cleveland, 16 Jan. 2020
  • Be sure to analyze those risks and find a way to compensate for them on your end.
    — Nate Nead, Forbes, 31 Jan. 2022
  • Our main reason to keep paying is so that the school can still compensate the staff.
    — Corbett Smith, Dallas News, 28 Mar. 2020
  • Will need to maximize strength to help compensate for lack of size.
    — oregonlive, 16 May 2021
  • No check can compensate for the time lost and damage wrought by these compounds.
    — Jasper Craven, The New Republic, 28 June 2021
  • If the core isn’t doing the work, the body will compensate in other ways.
    — Ronnie Koenig, SELF, 9 Apr. 2026
  • But the value of the time saved by faster pushbacks would more than compensate for that.
    — The Economist, 14 Dec. 2017
  • Will clubs pay less for free agents to compensate for the pay increase for young players?
    — Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2022
  • The defense could only do so much to compensate for that.
    — Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 1 Jan. 2026
  • So to be compensated for that is a little strange.
    — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Khaled Seffo wants the city should compensate him for the pain.
    — Mike Sullivan, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Extra shape may compensate for points, though.
    — Deb Harvell, Arkansas Online, 24 Aug. 2025
  • When stuck behind them, my heart rate speeds up as if compensating for the slow wheels.
    — Matt Fuchs, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
  • But both sides failed to reach an agreement on how much Kapoor must compensate them.
    — Jay Weaver june 6, Miami Herald, 6 June 2026
  • To compensate, some recipes call for adding butter, heavy cream or some other source of fat.
    — Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2022
  • Avoid feeling the need to compensate.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
  • Hold soil around their roots, and trim their tops back by half after the dig to compensate for the roots that are lost.
    — Neil Sperry, San Antonio Express-News, 17 Dec. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'compensate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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