fill in the blanks

phrase

1
: to put information into blank spaces : to provide missing information
Please fill in the blanks on the questionnaire.
sometimes used figuratively
At the end of the movie, the narrator goes back and fills in (all) the blanks.
2
: to provide one's own conclusion
He would not tell me the whole story of the argument, and I was left to fill in the blanks for myself.

Examples of fill in the blanks in a Sentence

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Scenes staged with action figures offer a visual component to fill in the blanks, as do the quick news montages that announce key years. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2023 Print out the card and have each kid fill in the blanks, or ask younger kids the questions and record their answers. Emily Vanschmus, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 May 2023 That will prompt the office to follow up to help each author fill in the blanks in an application. Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 16 Mar. 2023 While only three ingredients written on a notecard are shown in the series, the internet was able to fill in the blanks and recreate the dish. Bryce Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Feb. 2023 See All Example Sentences for fill in the blanks

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Cite this Entry

“Fill in the blanks.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fill%20in%20the%20blanks. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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