as in substitute
a person or thing that takes the place of another
I'm just a fill-in, so I have no idea where office supplies are kept
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to inform
to give information to
my friend quickly filled me in on the portion of the movie that I had missed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to substitute
to serve as a replacement usually for a time only
she's only filling in while the regular secretary is on vacation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of fill-in
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 18 Mar. 2026
Last week the former Skid Row singer was announced as the fill-in frontman for Twisted Sister‘s upcoming 50th anniversary tour after Dee Snider withdrew due to health concerns.
—Gary Graff, Billboard, 12 Mar. 2026
Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
That day, Dizzia and Davis had both tested positive for COVID, so Shawn, eighty-two, and his partner, Deborah Eisenberg, eighty, had agreed to fill in—Eisenberg as the wife and Shawn as the girlfriend.
—Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fill-in
Noun
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
Last week the former Skid Row singer was announced as the fill-in frontman for Twisted Sister‘s upcoming 50th anniversary tour after Dee Snider withdrew due to health concerns.
—Gary Graff, Billboard, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
The pilot program intends to fill in reporting gaps and was developed based on feedback from city officials.
—Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
That day, Dizzia and Davis had both tested positive for COVID, so Shawn, eighty-two, and his partner, Deborah Eisenberg, eighty, had agreed to fill in—Eisenberg as the wife and Shawn as the girlfriend.
—Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fill-in
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fill-in
Noun
-
Anouk Denton The versatile 22-year-old defender came on as a late substitute in England’s 2-0 win over Ghana in December, shortly before moving from West Ham United to Bay FC.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
So, in Swalwell’s case, the Democratic Party alone wouldn’t be entitled to select his substitute — unless the law were changed.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Williams said that the new results can help inform the experimental design for these future missions.—
Leonard David,
Space.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The fans who experience it smoothly will be the ones who planned early, stayed informed and adapted their expectations to the realities of hosting an event of this scale.—
Taylor Haught,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Further out, a cemetery monument stands in honor of the 150 people who died at the camp during their imprisonment.—
Catherine Garcia,
TheWeek,
21 Apr. 2026
-
During the great financial crisis—when shocks hit our economy, unemployment spiked, our economic system faced collapse, and America’s standing in the world was scrutinized—our central bank played an indispensable role.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some brokers also offer flight insurance to cover logistical or mechanical disruptions, including replacement aircraft when needed.—
Daniel Cote,
Robb Report,
19 Apr. 2026
-
And then the replacement for the experiment is called a proof.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
McMahon told me that another priority is patriotic education.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Don Cheadle told Entertainment Tonight in July 2021about tying the knot with his partner of nearly 30 years, Bridgid Coulter, during the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Sophie Dodd,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Alaves are happy to chase their opponents up the pitch, Mallorca are more comfortable sitting back, while Sevilla have adopted a direct approach since Luis Garcia Plaza took over in March.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
-
From September 1, senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus will take over the reins from Cook, while Cook will be appointed Apple’s executive chairman.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
One of the biggest rebuilds on the San Diego State defense this spring is at linebacker, where SDSU watched one starter transfer to a Power Four program, saw another starter sidelined following knee surgery and lost two backups to graduation.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
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Because the physical tag or receipt can be misplaced, having a photo of it provides a reliable backup.—
Bailey Berg,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In fact, Gerrod Moore, a brand manager of Maytag advises against uninformed stainless steel cleaning experimentation, because some kitchen cleaning go-to's like bleach, glass cleaner, abrasive cleaners, and steel wool may damage the metal.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
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And if an eastern Taoist monk had been on board to advise the obsessed captain?—
The Know,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fill-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fill-in. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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