make up for (something)

idiom

: to do or have something as a way of correcting or improving (something else)
He wanted to make up for neglecting his children by spending more time with them.
She tried to make up for lost time by working extra hard.
What the movie lacks in plot it makes up for in special effects.

Examples of make up for (something) in a Sentence

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To make up for the lost revenue, municipalities were granted the ability to levy their own 1% tax on groceries. Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2025 First, to make up for smaller staffs, those remaining have been asked to work overtime. Arkansas Online, 7 June 2025 Nor will more free-trade agreements completely make up for the economic losses in a trade war with the United States and diminishing returns from trade with China. Heidi Crebo-Rediker, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2025 The new hires would not make up for all the personnel lost in the Trump administration’s cutbacks to the NWS and its parent organization, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 2 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for make up for (something)

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Cite this Entry

“Make up for (something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%20up%20for%20%28something%29. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.

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