filling

noun

fill·​ing ˈfi-liŋ 

1

: an act or instance of filling

2

: something used to fill a cavity, container, or depression

3

: something that completes: such as

a

: the yarn interlacing the warp in a fabric

also : yarn for the shuttle

b

: a food mixture used to fill pastry or sandwiches

Synonyms

• fill
• packing

Examples of filling in a Sentence

a filling for a tooth

pies that need more filling

Recent Examples on the Web

Its team of 26 volunteer dentists and four dental hygienists perform a range of services for clients, from basic cleanings and fillings to extractions and dentures. —Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 June 2025

David carried out mass cremations, removed corpses’ gold jewelry and dental fillings and illegally harvested corpses’ organs for sale, prosecutors charged. —Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 16 June 2025

Gomberg Seltzer Works operated as a production and filling plant. —Liza Weisstuch, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 June 2025

As temperatures rise, these sets promise to keep you cool with features like moisture-wicking fabric and breathable filling. —Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing filling

• filling station

Rhymes for filling

• billing
• chilling
• drilling
• grilling
• killing
• milling
• pilling
• rilling
• schilling
• shilling
• skilling
• spilling

Kids Definition

filling

noun

fill·​ing ˈfil-iŋ 

1

: material that is used to fill something

a filling for a tooth

2

: something that completes: as

a

: the yarn crossing over and under the warp in a fabric

b

: a food mixture used to fill pastry or sandwiches

Medical Definition

filling

noun

fill·​ing ˈfil-iŋ 

1

: material (as gold or amalgam) used to fill a cavity in a tooth

2

: simple sporadic lymphangitis of the leg of a horse commonly due to overfeeding and insufficient exercise