backfill

verb

back·​fill ˈbak-ˌfil How to pronounce backfill (audio)
backfilled; backfilling; backfills

transitive + intransitive

: to refill (something, such as an excavation) usually with excavated material
backfill a trench
backfill noun

Examples of backfill in a Sentence

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.
State officials repeatedly have said California can’t backfill all the federal dollars. Trân Nguyễn, Fortune, 15 May 2026 State officials repeatedly said California can't backfill all the federal monies. CBS News, 14 May 2026 Advocates have called for the state to backfill many of the cuts. Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 14 May 2026 Woodford himself was quite explicit that his intervention was intended merely to formalize the existing consensus— to backfill a consistent theory behind an inchoate set of practices that had evolved through trial and error. Literary Hub, 13 May 2026 The Italian restaurateur is set to backfill the former home of Brider Rotisserie & Kitchen on Denver’s Platte Street in July. Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 13 May 2026 Michlewitz said the House does not typically fully fund this account, and backfills it if necessary through closeout budgets. State House News Service, Boston Herald, 15 Apr. 2026 But no state can completely backfill all of the funds and resources the federal government has cut — nor can mutual aid, Boldon said. Maddie Mullikin, Twin Cities, 3 Apr. 2026 Separately, the Pentagon last month proposed $200 billion for the war effort and to backfill munitions and supplies. ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of backfill was in 1874

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Backfill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backfill. Accessed 20 May. 2026.

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