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
Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Mar. 2026
Smith has spent the past two seasons as the club’s go-to fill-in man but is now the lead candidate to replace Gold Glove-winner Marcus Semien at second base despite relative inexperience at the position.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 27 Feb. 2026
Lily Wohlner, Allure, 25 Mar. 2026
Zach Schermele here, USA TODAY's congressional reporter, filling in for Kathryn Palmer.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fill-in
Noun
Then there are the fill-ins from Triple-A who pop up regularly.
—Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Mar. 2026
Smith has spent the past two seasons as the club’s go-to fill-in man but is now the lead candidate to replace Gold Glove-winner Marcus Semien at second base despite relative inexperience at the position.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
Laura Geller’s Sculpt-n-Stay Pencil glides on easily, fills in sparse areas, and keeps brows perfectly shaped and in place all day.
—Lily Wohlner, Allure, 25 Mar. 2026
Zach Schermele here, USA TODAY's congressional reporter, filling in for Kathryn Palmer.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fill-in
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fill-in
Noun
-
If your goal is long-term success, there is really no substitute for doing the necessary hard work.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Station reserves the right to substitute prize of comparable value.—
CBS LA Staff,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Presidents have historically leaned on their national security officials to inform the public about their wars.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
25 Mar. 2026
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When Jobs returned to Apple after the first demo, he was crisply informed by Raskin that he’d been had — PARC had withheld from him most of its most innovative work.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Saman Shafiq and Michelle Del Rey Airports around the country have seen TSA lines and wait times balloon, and travelers forced to stand in long queues, some of which have stretched outside terminals.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The tin box was discovered beneath a pedestal that once held a statue commemorating Civil War soldiers, which had stood in front of the Colorado State Capitol.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Knee replacement surgery used to require a surgeon to manually saw bone — an inherently imprecise process.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
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Savaiinaea’s still projected as a starter heading into 2026 unless the Dolphins find a replacement in this upcoming draft.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One of them told Felder that the precinct had received a complaint about a trespasser at the synagogue.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Minnesota victim wants accountability After she was injured, Stotko told the city council in her community of Hastings, Minnesota, about her crash to push for a stricter ordinance.—
Sarah Raza,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Part of the company’s dramatic turnaround since new ownership took over in 2019 has been to allow individual stores to tailor the shopping experience and displays to their local markets, rather than corporate’s cookie-cutter mandates, according to reporting by ModernRetail.—
Matt Leclercq,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Mar. 2026
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That's definitely not an ideal situation for a coach who rose to prominence in the NCAA, and many feel that taking over at UNC could be the smart move to further his legacy as a coach.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Plus Yosh Nijman, Ekwonu’s backup and the Panthers’ swing tackle, suddenly retired earlier this month — flinging the Panthers’ offensive line plan into even narrower straits.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Mar. 2026
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Denver couldn’t overcome the Patriots’ defense with backup Jarrett Stidham on a snowy championship Sunday in Denver.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This was, after all, the woman who had advised me not to hold her hand on the way to fifth grade because doing so would only increase my social isolation.—
Lena Dunham,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
A week after the crash, police are advising anyone drinking to either call a friend or use a rideshare to get home safely.—
Heath Kalb,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fill-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fill-in. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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