1 B1 idiomatic neutral
To do something that corrects or balances the negative effect of a mistake, fault, or absence
"He worked overtime all weekend to make up for missing the deadline on Friday."
inseparable
make up for
B1 neutral inseparable transitive
To compensate for something lost, missed, or done wrong by doing something positive
In plain English
To do something good to balance out something bad that happened before — to say sorry in actions
What does "make up for" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic neutral
To compensate for a lack or disadvantage by providing something positive in another area
"What she lacks in experience, she more than makes up for in enthusiasm and creativity."
inseparable
3 B1 idiomatic neutral
To use time or opportunities intensely to compensate for a period when they were unavailable
"After recovering from illness, she was determined to make up for lost time and throw herself back into work."
inseparable
Usage tip
Very common and useful. Can refer to compensating for absence, bad behaviour, lost time, disadvantages, or mistakes. Often seen in the structure 'make up for lost time'. Always followed by 'for' and then the thing being compensated for.
Words that pair with "make up for"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
lost time absence mistake shortcoming deficit lack of experience
How to conjugate "make up for"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
make up for
I/you/we/they
3rd person
makes up for
he/she/it
Past simple
made up for
yesterday
Past participle
made up for
have + pp
-ing form
making up for
continuous
Hear "make up for" in the wild
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Other ways to say "make up for"
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