fill-in 1 of 2

noun

ˈfil-ˌin How to pronounce fill-in (audio)
Definition of fill-innext
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

fill in

2 of 2

verb

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
Noun
Temporary fill-in or permanent replacement? — Chris Willman, Variety, 21 June 2026 Her cohost, Craig Melvin, and fill-in anchor, Sheinelle Jones, then revealed more details on her whereabouts at the top of Thursday's show. — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 18 June 2026
Verb
When Hwang spoke with The Star, Erneste sat with her, softly inserting details and filling in gaps in Hwang’s recollection. — Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026 Even though all the barrels matured in the same place, the final blend leaned heavily on barrels filled in January and June. — David Thomas Tao, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for fill-in
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fill-in
  1. substitute
  2. inform
  3. stand in
  4. replacement
  5. tell
  6. take over
  7. backup
  8. advise
Noun
  • Their dense texture makes oyster mushrooms a preferred meat substitute in many dishes.
    — Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Now that it's disappeared from store shelves, longtime devotees have launched a petition to bring it back, flooded social media with disappointment and searched for substitutes.
    — Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of substitute
Verb
  • According to Shai Eisenman, founder and chief executive officer of Bubble, the pairings were informed by long-standing consumer requests.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Schulz responded that the agency only needed to inform Congress about the reorganization.
    — Chiara Eisner, NPR, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of inform
Verb
  • The designers also expanded the show’s scope far beyond New Mexico, using the Canary Islands, Albuquerque backlots and elaborate builds to stand in for locations ranging from Peru to Morocco.
    — Deadline, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Growth in Asia was spurred by core markets like China, up 40% year-on-year and standing in contrast to the rest of the industry, where the market dragged on quarterly results.
    — Ella Graveney, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of stand in
Noun
  • That could mean returning replacement shares or paying their current value, including dividends and other distributions that would have accrued.
    — Mark Lewyn, Baltimore Sun, 5 Aug. 2026
  • After losing one young defensive tackle for the season, the Miami Dolphins quickly got to work on finding a replacement.
    — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of replacement
Verb
  • For a long time, we’ve all been told that remastering the older Super Robot Wars games was extremely difficult, due to all the licensing and other costs involved.
    — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Earlier, sources told CNN that the crown prince raised concerns over plans to strike Iran during the call.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of tell
Verb
  • Phelan and his childhood friend Alex Haried took over the bar in 2020.
    — Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Bradgley Rodriguez pitched a hitless first inning for the Padres before Yuki Matsui (2-1) took over.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of take over
Noun
  • Home batteries become grid assets Core is designed to work as both household backup and grid infrastructure.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Milwaukee wanted Naylor as another layer of protection behind starting backstop William Contreras and backups Sánchez and Jeferson Quero.
    — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of backup
Verb
  • Her doctor advised her to stop clinical hyperpigmentation treatments for her dark spots and uneven skin tone as some ingredients could be unsafe to use while trying to conceive or during pregnancy.
    — Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The vessel and crew were safe and authorities are investigating, UKMTO said, advising ships to transit with caution.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of advise

Browse Nearby Words

fillies
fill-in
fill in
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fill-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fill-in. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nurture

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All