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.
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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
-
Resident teachers, or teachers in training, will be the substitutes.—
Lacey Beasley,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Those patterns suggest that, at least so far, AI has acted as a productivity-enhancing tool that boosts employment and wages rather than a simple substitute for labor.—
Christos Makridis,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Wildtype co-founders Justin Kolbeck and Aryé Elfenbein invited chefs to their headquarters in San Francisco and then went to the restaurants during early days of service, providing FAQ sheets that informed how chefs label the product on menus.—
Jaia Clingham-David,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The women were informed that filming for season five was to be paused until production’s investigation, which is separate from the law enforcement investigation, concludes.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Apartment blocks stand in rows, their windows flickering with fire.—
Babak Rahimi,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
-
But that cannot be a reason to try to stand in front of technology.—
Yunus Emre Tozal,
Chicago Tribune,
14 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
-
Vegas has not lost in regulation since coach John Tortorella (6-0-1) took over after Bruce Cassidy was fired.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Moon memorial Crew members often played with Rise during livestreamed conversations with Earth, and the toy also took over NASA's social media streams mid-mission.—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
13 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
-
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 21 Apr. 2026.
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