: someone or something that fills in
She performed well as the emergency fill-in.
filled in; filling in; fills in
1
: to enrich (something, such as a design) with detail
2
: to give necessary or recently acquired information to
I'll fill you in
: to fill a vacancy usually temporarily
Interns filled in for regular staffers.
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
Mike Kaye
updated March 20, Charlotte Observer, 20 Mar. 2026
Ware was quiet as the Heat’s fill-in starting center, recording seven points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field and 0-of-6 shooting on threes, eight rebounds, one assist and one block in 28 minutes.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 18 Mar. 2026
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
Even more mild air fills in Friday and Saturday.
—Rachael Jay, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fill-in
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
The former Virginia Tech standout was particularly effective as a fill-in starter last season.
—Mike Kaye
updated March 20, Charlotte Observer, 20 Mar. 2026
Ware was quiet as the Heat’s fill-in starting center, recording seven points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field and 0-of-6 shooting on threes, eight rebounds, one assist and one block in 28 minutes.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 18 Mar. 2026
Verb
The strip mall was cleared of commercial tenants and demolished in September 2021, leaving many in the surrounding neighborhood wondering when real estate development would fill in the empty land.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
Even more mild air fills in Friday and Saturday.
—Rachael Jay, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fill-in
Cite this Entry
“Fill-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fill-in. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
