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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fill-in
Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
That places an incredible weight on the shoulders of Alex Singleton and fill-in Justin Strnad.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2025
Mason Leath, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2025
The 6-foot-4 rookie scored 13 points while filling in for Jimmy Butler.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fill-in
Noun
DeVito, 27, compiled a 3-5 record as the fill-in starter for the New York Giants over the last two seasons.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
That places an incredible weight on the shoulders of Alex Singleton and fill-in Justin Strnad.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
When an unknown person filled in the hole last year, Good Samaritans immediately excavated it.
—Mason Leath, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2025
The 6-foot-4 rookie scored 13 points while filling in for Jimmy Butler.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fill-in
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fill-in
Noun
-
Mild and sweet, nutmeg is a natural substitute in custards, baked goods, and other types of desserts.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
18 Oct. 2025
-
But high-tech substitutes aren't ready.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Guadagnino had noted to Piersanti that Alma was an upper-class woman, which informed the wardrobe pricing, while Maggie, played by Edebiri, was trying to emulate Alma but on a younger woman’s budget.—
Leigh Nordstrom,
Footwear News,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Few figures have informed the sensibility of NPR more than Stamberg.—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In excerpts from Federline’s book published by the New York Times earlier this week, the 47-year-old claims that one of the couple’s sons allegedly woke up one night to find Spears standing in the doorway holding a knife.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Concert etiquette is on the decline and, at least in my experience, tallest people alive stand in front of me during the show.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Dave Brubeck, already an accomplished jazz pianist, serving in a military band at a Riverside, California, base, was reassigned, trained, then shipped overseas as a replacement infantry rifleman.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The buckets are used as a replacement for the standard cardboard Happy Meal box and can double as a candy pail to use for trick-or-treating on Halloween.—
Endia Fontanez,
AZCentral.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Debris that may be key evidence could be as small as a fingernail, experts told CNN, and might have been thrown miles away.—
Isabel Rosales,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Those last six words are telling.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The long-bubbling Houston rap scene finally took over the mainstream in 2005, getting the entire country invested in tippin’ on four-fours and sittin’ sideways.—
Andrew Unterberger,
Billboard,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Toastique is taking over the former Starbucks location at San Pedro Square that fronts Santa Clara Street.—
Linda Zavoral,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
His backup, Jacoby Brissett, did it last Sunday against a good Colts defense.—
Vic Tafur,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The longer the shutdown lasts, the greater the risk of cargo backups at these Texas ports due to unpaid employees calling in sick.—
NPR,
NPR,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Ellison has made a series of C-level hires since the deal closed, including Makan Delrahim, who advised Skydance on its acquisition of Paramount Global, as chief legal officer; former Meta exec Dane Glasgow as chief product officer; and Roku’s Jay Askinasi as chief revenue officer.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Experts still advise moderation—about 8 ounces a day—since too much can add unnecessary sugar to your diet.—
Sarah Garone,
Health,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fill-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fill-in. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share