make whole

To pay someone enough money to cover what they have lost.

• The insurer agreed to make us whole.
• The company made investors whole after the error.
• Will this payment make the victims whole?

How to use it: make someone whole (The settlement made the injured worker whole.)

Similar words: compensate, reimburse

Common phrases: make someone whole, make whole financially

To help someone become healthy, happy, or fully themselves again after harm.

• The treatment helped make him whole again.
• She hoped that love would make her whole.
• Can time make us whole after such a loss?

How to use it: make someone whole (Nothing could make her whole after that terrible loss.)

Similar words: heal, restore

Common phrases: make someone whole, make whole again

To repair something damaged or return it to a complete condition.

• She tried to make the torn blanket whole.
• They made the damaged statue whole again.
• Can these fragments be made whole?

How to use it: make something whole (The craftsman carefully made the broken bowl whole again.)

Similar words: repair, restore, mend

Opposites: break

Common phrases: make something whole, make whole again