: 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
Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 3 June 2026
This subversive summer scent trend is also a natural offshoot of last year’s influx of fill-in-the-blank-savory-food-girl summer; 2025’s tomato perfume is 2026’s sea salt scent.
—Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 3 June 2026
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026
Several neighbors greeted each other warmly as seats filled in The Rhapsody, traditionally used as a wedding venue.
—Ilana Arougheti
june 4, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for fill-in
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Noun
By July 1, 2027, the Colorado Secretary of State will provide long-form articles with check-box and fill-in-the-blank provisions — covering ownership structure, governance, IP terms, tax treatment, and more—so artists can set up their own A-Corps without needing to consult a lawyer.
—Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 3 June 2026
This subversive summer scent trend is also a natural offshoot of last year’s influx of fill-in-the-blank-savory-food-girl summer; 2025’s tomato perfume is 2026’s sea salt scent.
—Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 3 June 2026
Verb
Parents are starting meal planning with the protein component first, then filling in the rest of the plate around it.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026
Several neighbors greeted each other warmly as seats filled in The Rhapsody, traditionally used as a wedding venue.
—Ilana Arougheti
june 4, Kansas City Star, 4 June 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 7 Jun. 2026.
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