Compensator
noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A party or thing which compensates, pays or otherwise provides a compensation literally
- 2 Any device used to compensate for something, notably to achieve a better balance.
"Anything that reverses the direction of movement in a length of point rodding will act as a compensator over an equal length on each side of it; […]."
- 3 A building control device used to deliver the compensation relationship or curve between the air temperature outside a building and the temperature of water or air provided to spaces or zones within the building for purposes of heating or cooling.
"Compensators ensure less heat is provided to a room on a warmer day. They may be implemented mechanically, electronically or in software."
- 4 One of several small magnets placed in the binnacle to neutralize the effect of the ship's metal on the compass
Example
More examples"Anything that reverses the direction of movement in a length of point rodding will act as a compensator over an equal length on each side of it; […]."
Etymology
From compensate + -or.
Related phrases
More for "compensator"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.