fill-in

1 of 2

noun

ˈfil-ˌin How to pronounce fill-in (audio)
Synonyms of fill-innext
: someone or something that fills in

fill in

2 of 2

verb

filled in; filling in; fills in

transitive verb

1
: to enrich (something, such as a design) with detail
2
: to give necessary or recently acquired information to
I'll fill you in

intransitive verb

: to fill a vacancy usually temporarily
interns filled in for regular staffers

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of fill-in in a Sentence

Noun I'm just a fill-in, so I have no idea where office supplies are kept Verb my friend quickly filled me in on the portion of the movie that I had missed she's only filling in while the regular secretary is on vacation
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Why Panthers aren’t likely to be heavily involved with restricted free agency The majority of the Panthers’ restricted free agents were injury fill-ins during the 2024 season. — Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2025 Vásquez was invaluable as a fill-in in place of Darvish and Musgrove, and the Padres won nine of his 20 starts. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Feb. 2025
Verb
Ora was at the desk for a third consecutive season to fill in for Nicole Scherzinger. — Michael Schneider, Variety, 27 Feb. 2025 Among the Promenade’s challenges is its scale — the mall’s unusually large stores can be hard to fill in an era when many big retailers are reducing their footprints. — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fill-in

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1917, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1840, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fill-in was in 1840

Rhymes for fill-in

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Browse Nearby Entries

fill-in
fill in
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Cite this Entry

“Fill-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fill-in. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

fill in

verb
1
: to furnish with specified information
fill in an application
filled us in on the latest news
2
: to fill a vacancy usually temporarily : substitute
filled in during the emergency
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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