as in to offset
to balance with an equal force so as to make ineffective
the lavish present almost made up for her forgetting his birthday
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for make up (for)
Verb
-
Costco is working to offset the cost of tariffs and is raising prices selectively.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026 -
Like Beck, Moniak rated negatively in defensive WAR in ’25, but the defensive drawback could be offset by platooning him in right field.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
This story has been updated with new information, to reframe parts of the story and to correct spelling errors.—
Steve Patterson,
Florida Times-Union,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Problems arise when trees interfere with power lines, but professional pruning can correct this.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Most of them were neutralized, but unfortunately not all.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Feb. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Make up (for).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/make%20up%20%28for%29. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
