Reimburse is to repay someone for something that they have spent money on. Your friend buys a book for you because you can't make it to the bookstore. When she brings you the book, you reimburse her by giving her the amount of money that she spent on your behalf. Reimbursing involves money. Your employer sends you on a trip. When you return, he should reimburse you for your meals and hotel. Compensate can be money or something else of value. In the example above, your friend brings you the book but she had to miss work and drive to the bookstore. You can reimburse her for the book and compensate her for the time and effort it took to go to the bookstore by taking her to dinner. Compensate also has another sense meaning to adjust for or account for. You are rowing a boat and there is a strong current. You compensate for the current by rowing in a slightly different direction than you would if there were no current. A plane is going a long distance and will need a maximum load of fuel. The airline compensates for the extra weight of the fuel by reducing the number of passengers or the amount of freight allowed on the airplane. Reimburse is to refund money that you have spent. Compensate is to adjust or give something to settle an obligation. I hope that helps.