fill-in

1 of 2

noun

Synonyms of fill-innext
: someone or something that fills in
She performed well as the emergency fill-in.

fill in

2 of 2

verb

filled in; filling in; fills in

transitive verb

1
: to enrich (something, such as a design) with detail
2
: to give necessary or recently acquired information to
I'll fill you in

intransitive verb

: 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
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
Brown, 40, works as a sports reporter for WSOC-Channel 9 in Charlotte, covering all of the local sports teams and occasionally serving as a fill-in anchor on the news desk. Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 4 Feb. 2026 Kelce pulled out of the Pro Bowl and Buffalo Bills was announced as the fill-in. Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 1 Feb. 2026
Verb
Bone-wise, everything just kind of fills in. Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026 That drive ended with Kittle making a touchdown catch near the front right pylon after beating the coverage of safety Ty Okada, who was filling in for injured rookie Nick Emmanwori. Cam Inman, Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fill-in

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1917, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1840, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fill-in was in 1840

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Fill-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fill-in. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

fill in

verb
1
: to furnish with specified information
fill in an application
filled us in on the latest news
2
: to fill a vacancy usually temporarily : substitute
filled in during the emergency
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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