Wettmachen

Wettmachen is a German verb meaning to compensate for a deficit, loss, or disadvantage by additional effort, payment, or favorable performance. The idea is to make things even or restore balance after a shortfall. Common objects include a loss (Verlust), a backlog or deficit (Rückstand), a damage (Schaden), or a mistake (Fehler).

In usage, wettmachen is widely found in sports, business, and everyday language. In sports, the term describes a comeback or closing of a gap, for example: “Die Mannschaft konnte den Rückstand wettmachen.” In economics or accounting, it refers to making up losses or shortfalls, as in “Der Umsatz konnte den Gewinnmangel wettmachen.” In everyday speech, it can denote compensating for a disadvantage through better performance or additional effort, such as “Man will den Fehler durch eine bessere Lösung wettmachen.”

The expression is typically used with phrases like etwas wettmachen or den Rückstand wettmachen, and the related perfect form is hat wettgemacht. It is a relatively general, non-technical term and is chosen for emphasis on compensating or balancing an imbalance rather than on formal restitution.

Related concepts include ausgleichen and kompensieren, which convey similar ideas of balancing losses. A more formal or moral counterpoint is Wiedergutmachung, which refers to compensation for wrongdoing rather than simply balancing a disadvantage through effort.