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
Jessica Bartlett — Boston Globe, STAT, 25 Jan. 2026
Coleman returned to the lineup over the next two weeks as a fill-in for an injured Palmer.
—Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Phibbs said his grandmother’s story is integral and historically fills in gaps recognizing people who might have been either overlooked or there wasn’t enough information on them.
—Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fill-in
Noun
Beth Israel Lahey Health has long been the state’s second-largest hospital system, the second biggest employer, the second most fill-in-the-blank.
—Jessica Bartlett — Boston Globe, STAT, 25 Jan. 2026
Coleman returned to the lineup over the next two weeks as a fill-in for an injured Palmer.
—Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
Besides Castrejon, there’s Nathan Medina, who has eight goals, and Nathan Vargas, a backup goalie who has filled in well while the starter was sick.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Phibbs said his grandmother’s story is integral and historically fills in gaps recognizing people who might have been either overlooked or there wasn’t enough information on them.
—Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fill-in
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fill-in
Noun
-
That is the joint-highest number of goals scored by substitutes for a team in the division over the period with… Hurzeler’s Brighton.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
When CEOs treat financial advice as a substitute for judgment, leadership starts to erode, decisions slow down, and conviction weakens.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Because in the end, the role of the CFO is to inform the decision.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Tobay Robles' lawyers informed the court on Friday that his client had not received a bond hearing and was still in immigration custody.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Aaron Glenn stood in front of a crowd of reporters, Jets staffers and former Jets players at his introductory news conference as the franchise’s new head coach and announced to the world that things were going to be different with him in charge.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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Under the watchful eye of sheriffs deputies who threatened to ticket anyone caught standing in the road, along with a small number of National Guard members, the protesters took turns screaming swears and warming up in nearby parked cars.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The recruitment of a permanent replacement for Mitchell is just beginning and may take much of 2026 to complete.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
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The company now provides hydro jetting, sewer repair and replacement, trenchless repairs, water damage cleanup services, and water filtration and softening systems.—
Alexander Coolidge,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Police added that Lattimore was arrested for not telling the officer there was a gun inside the vehicle when asked.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Federal prosecutors have launched a new criminal investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James, after a grand jury previously declined to indict her twice on unrelated criminal charges, two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Trump’s first order of business on Monday was to dispatch Tom Homan, the White House’s border czar, to Minneapolis to take over federal operations and communications with state and local officials.—
Christian Datoc,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Jan. 2026
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For example, block time each morning for deep work so that critical tasks always get attention before meetings and interruptions take over.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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These buckets store files such as photos, documents, receipts and backups.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The committee voted to fully fund payments to jails, which have housed some offenders as a backup, and for medical payments.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In a Facebook post, the CAIC advised skiers to be aware of areas with the highest avalanche danger.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
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Last January, Navajo leaders advised citizens to carry their Certificate of Indian Blood or tribal identification card.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fill-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fill-in. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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