filled; filling; fills
1
a
: to put into as much as can be held or conveniently contained
fill a cup with water
The theater was filled to capacity. [=completely full]
b
: to supply with a full complement
The class is filled.
c(1)
: to cause to swell or billow
Wind filled the sails.
(2)
: to trim (a sail) to catch the wind
d
: to raise the level of with fill
filled land
e
: to repair the cavities of (teeth)
f
: to stop up : obstruct
Wreckage filled the channel.
g
: to stop up the interstices, crevices, or pores of (a material, such as cloth, wood, or leather) with a foreign substance
2
3
a(1)
: to occupy the whole of
Smoke filled the room.
(2)
: to spend or use (time)
Since retiring he doesn't know how to fill his days.
b
: to spread through
Music filled the air.
c
: to make full
a mind filled with fantasies
4
a
: to possess and perform the duties of : hold
fill an office
b
: to place a person in
fill a vacancy
5
: to supply as directed
fill a prescription
6
: to cover the surface of with a layer of precious metal
a gold-filled bracelet
: to become full
The rivers filled nearly to flooding.
—often used with upThe stadium filled up with fans.
Don't fill up on junk food before dinner.
see also:
Examples of fill in a Sentence
May I fill your glass for you?
She filled her house with antiques.
His massive body filled the doorway.
He has enough books to fill a library.
Two hundred people filled the room.
fill a sheet of paper with writing
a vase filled with flowers
stadiums filled with cheering fans
The rivers have filled and are close to flooding.
The stadium filled more than an hour before the game.
Recent Examples on the Web
The sky has shattered, shards fill the alleys.
—
Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
Days filled with seemingly endless sunlight, tables piled high with fresh seafood and fleetingly in-season strawberries, cozy lakeside cottages… there’s a lot to love about a Scandinavian summer.
—Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 9 June 2026
But sidle up to the bar, eerily silent until the restaurant quickly fills with chatter, and order a stiff drink before settling into a table and digging into heaping plates of pasta, milanesa, and a Caesar salad that always hits the spot.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 June 2026
Months after the state's original announcement to rehab the facilities, Logan County residents filled a series of hearings to protest the state's apparent plan to build both facilities in Crest Hill.
—Jenna Schweikert, CBS News, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for fill
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
Days filled with seemingly endless sunlight, tables piled high with fresh seafood and fleetingly in-season strawberries, cozy lakeside cottages… there’s a lot to love about a Scandinavian summer.
—Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 9 June 2026
But sidle up to the bar, eerily silent until the restaurant quickly fills with chatter, and order a stiff drink before settling into a table and digging into heaping plates of pasta, milanesa, and a Caesar salad that always hits the spot.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 June 2026
Months after the state's original announcement to rehab the facilities, Logan County residents filled a series of hearings to protest the state's apparent plan to build both facilities in Crest Hill.
—Jenna Schweikert, CBS News, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for fill
Cite this Entry
“Fill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fill. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fill
1 of 2 verb1
: to put into as much as can be held or contained
fill one's plate
2
: to become full
puddles filling with rain
3
: satisfy sense 1a
fill all requirements
4
: to occupy fully : take up whatever space there is
clothes filled the closet
5
: to spread through
laughter filled the room
6
: to stop up (as holes) : plug
fill a crack with putty
fill a tooth
7
a
: to perform the duties of : occupy
fill the office of president
b
: to put a person in
filled several vacancies
8
: to supply according to directions
fill a prescription
fill
2 of 2 noun1
: a full supply
especially
: a quantity that satisfies
eat one's fill
2
: material used to fill a container, cavity, passage, or low place
Medical Definition
fill
transitive verb1
: to repair the cavities of (teeth)
2
: to supply as directed
fill a prescription
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