compensated

/ˈkɒm.pən.seɪt/ (bre, ipa) · [kˈɑmpənsˌetəd] /ˈkɑːm.pən.seɪt/ (ame, ipa) · [kˈɑmpənsˌetəd] /ˈkäm-pən-ˌsāt -ˌpen-/ (ame, mw)

compensated — 動詞

  • compensatedpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • compensateds3rd person singular
  • compensateding-ing form
  • compensatededpast simple

1. to give a payment to a person whose belongings were harmed or taken away, or who

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

賠償

因損失、損害而付錢

to give a payment to a person whose belongings were harmed or taken away, or who suffered an injury or a setback.

例句

The airline compensated Mei-Lin for her lost luggage by giving her a voucher.

航空公司補償了 Mei-Lin 遺失行李的損失，給了她一張折價券。

compensate + person + for + loss

After the storm damaged their roof, the family was compensated by their insurance company.

暴風雨損壞了他們的屋頂後，保險公司對他們進行了理賠。

passive: be compensated by [insurer]

同義詞
  • reimburse

    more specific — means paying back money someone has already spent; less common for injury or non-financial loss

  • repay

    general sense of giving money back; does not carry the insurance/legal tone of compensate

  • indemnify

    formal legal term meaning to protect someone against future loss or to pay for loss already suffered

反義詞
  • damage

    to cause injury or loss, which is the opposite of providing payment for it

文法句型

compensate + person + for + loss/damage/problem

be compensated for + loss/damage

用法筆記

Often used in the passive voice because the focus is on the person receiving the payment rather than the one making it. The preposition 'for' introduces the reason (loss, damage, injury). This sense is common in legal, insurance, and consumer contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The store compensated me with the broken phone.
✅The store compensated me for the broken phone.
💡compensate someone FOR something, not with something.
❌I compensated him 500 dollars.
✅I compensated him with 500 dollars.' or 'I compensated him by paying 500 dollars.
💡the amount is introduced by 'with' or a separate clause, not as a direct object.

2. to give an amount of money to someone for the job, work, or service they have do

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

給薪；報酬

為工作或服務付費

to give an amount of money to someone for the job, work, or service they have done.

例句

Diego was compensated for the extra hours he worked on the weekend project.

Diego 因週末專案加班而獲得了加班費補償。

passive: be compensated for extra work

The company compensates its employees well, offering both a high salary and annual bonuses.

該公司員工待遇很好，除了高薪之外還提供年終獎金。

compensates + person + adverb (well)

同義詞
  • pay

    more general and common; compensate is more formal and often implies a fair or contractual arrangement

  • remunerate

    formal term used in business and legal contexts for paying someone for work or services

  • reward

    suggests extra payment for good performance, not just the agreed amount

文法句型

compensate + person + for + work/service/time

be compensated for + work

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 (PAY FOR LOSS OR DAMAGE) where the payment is for something unwanted that happened. In this sense, the payment is in exchange for work or effort voluntarily given. Common in employment, freelance, and contract contexts. Often used with adverbs like 'well', 'fairly', 'poorly'.

常見錯誤

❌The company compensated him for his injury' — confuses with the 'pay for loss' sense.
✅The company compensated him for his overtime work.
💡use sense 1 for harm; sense 2 for effort or time.

3. to do something positive or give something useful that lessens the impact of a b

3.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

彌補；補償

以好處抵消缺點或失落

to do something positive or give something useful that lessens the impact of a bad situation, a shortcoming, a mistake, or a disappointment.

例句

The restaurant's excellent service compensated for the long wait for a table.

這家餐廳的服務非常好，彌補了等位時間過長的缺點。

compensate for + [negative] (subject is a strength that balances a weakness)

Haruto is not very tall, but his speed on the court compensates for his height.

Haruto 個子不高，但他在球場上的速度補足了他的身高劣勢。

同義詞
  • make up for

    less formal and more common in everyday speech; means the same as compensate in this sense

  • offset

    more formal, often used in business, finance, or technical contexts to mean balance out

  • counterbalance

    emphasises the idea of two forces balancing each other; slightly more formal

反義詞
  • worsen

    to make a bad situation even worse, the opposite of balancing it

文法句型

compensate for + disadvantage/lack/mistake

compensate + person + for + something missing

用法筆記

Unlike senses 1 and 2, this sense does NOT involve money. The thing that compensates can be any positive quality, action, or feature that offsets a negative one. The pattern 'compensate for' is almost always used; 'compensated by' appears in passive constructions.

常見錯誤

❌I compensated for my mistake by money.
✅I compensated for my mistake by apologising and helping to fix it.
💡sense 3 is about non-financial balancing; for money, use sense 1.
❌Her kindness compensates her lack of confidence.
✅Her kindness compensates for her lack of confidence.
💡always use 'for' after compensate in this sense.