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.
However, if the institutions want to backfill the gap in federal funding, the Fifty Percent Law would apply to the replacement funds, which would impact compliance and penalize community colleges for trying to help students. Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026 Steyer has proposed a 2027 special election if elected to close tax loopholes and reassess commercial properties at market rate and use that money to backfill federal budget cuts affecting local governments. Lia Russell february 20, Sacbee.com, 20 Feb. 2026 The goal, supervisors say, is to generate $1 billion per year to backfill the dwindling budgets of local hospitals and clinics battered by federal funding cuts. Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026 Mix a bit of compost or worm castings into the soil, backfill the planting hole with soil, and water deeply to help the plant settle in. Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Feb. 2026 For teams interested in Peralta, the Brewers’ asking price was always multiple top-100 prospects and preferably someone who could help backfill major-league innings. Chad Jennings, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2026 Gently backfill the hole with soil. Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 16 Jan. 2026 Who will backfill these coaching departures on Reid’s staff? Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 15 Jan. 2026 After Amabile said Medicaid and behavioral health programs would be cut, other Democrats wondered about dipping further into the state’s reserves to backfill the shortfall and avoid cutting social services. Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 14 Jan. 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 26 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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