to make up

Examples

• All

• She worked overtime to make up for the hours she missed last week.

• He promised to make up for his mistakes by being more reliable from now on.

• So this is my way of making up for it by trying it again.

• Nothing I can do is ever gonna make up for that, is it?

  Mean Machine (2001)

• We had to eat some pizza to make up for our lack of good eats.

• Haste is needed in order to make up for lost time.

• Because I've got a lot of lost time to make up for.

  Wandering Eye (2011)

• But much was left unsaid during those years, and I am trying to make up for them.

  Academic text (2008)

• Last night, we did a story about the Benchwarmers... ...a team of three men who were excluded from baseball as kids... ...and are now making up for lost time.

  The Benchwarmers (2006)

• To make up for her absence, she brought a cake to the party.

Synonyms

C

to correct

vsto make up

483 1.0

To make something right by fixing a mistake

also includes acts that compensate for loss or repair relations beyond fixes

M

to make it up to

vsto make up

161 3.5

Do something kind for someone to show you are sorry for making them unhappy

also applies to replacing or offsetting losses, not only personal apologies

C

to compensate

vsto make up

102 4.2

To give money to someone for loss, injury or unpaid work

also includes nonpayment actions such as tasks or apologies

C

to compensate

vsto make up

94 3.7

To change something to reduce a problem caused by something else

also involves personal restitution or apology, not only technical balancing

R

to repair

vsto make up

71 2.1

To try to make a damaged relationship or reputation better

also covers compensatory acts like payments or replacements, not only repairs

M

to make amends

vsto make up

55 3.4

To do something to fix a mistake and show you are sorry

also covers compensating for lost or missing things beyond relationships

C

to catch up with

vsto make up

28 3.2

To do work you missed after being away to reach the same level as others

also covers making up losses or faults, not only completing tasks

C

to counterbalance

vsto make up

9 5.1

To balance the effect of something by adding an opposite force

also includes active restitution or apology to correct personal or material loss

Antonyms

I

to ignore

∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

N

to neglect

256 3.8

Fail to care for someone or something you should look after

How Much Reparation

to redeem

57 6.1

to atone

26 6.2

to compensate

102 4.2

to make up

252 2.8

to apologize

• US

∞ 1.7

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology