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
Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 4 Feb. 2026
Kelce pulled out of the Pro Bowl and Buffalo Bills was announced as the fill-in.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 1 Feb. 2026
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2026
Coreopsis is a good choice for filling in space in a flowerbed, and is great for borders or containers.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fill-in
Noun
Brown, 40, works as a sports reporter for WSOC-Channel 9 in Charlotte, covering all of the local sports teams and occasionally serving as a fill-in anchor on the news desk.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 4 Feb. 2026
Kelce pulled out of the Pro Bowl and Buffalo Bills was announced as the fill-in.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 1 Feb. 2026
Verb
The White Lotus season four is filling in the gaps.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2026
Coreopsis is a good choice for filling in space in a flowerbed, and is great for borders or containers.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fill-in
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fill-in
Noun
-
Perhaps cultural certainty is a poor substitute for epidemiology.—
Jan Steyn,
The Dial,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Donating blood is one of the of the most powerful ways to give back to the community—there is no substitute for this lifesaving gift and every donation can help save multiple lives.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
From the haunting coastline of Namibia to off-road adventures in Iceland, let the 13 trips ahead inform your next adventure.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Instead of publishing that letter, Guerra said the state Democratic Party should have gone straight to releasing the VOTER Index and framing it simply as an opportunity to inform voters about the state of the race for governor.—
Linh Tat,
Daily News,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Steph’s younger brother stood in the corner, loaded up a shot, and splashed a 3-pointer on his first possession off the bench.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Like her structured coat, both pieces stand in opposition to the more dainty, romantic white cotton dress.—
Ana Serrano,
Glamour,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Their replacements should come via the draft, or Mafe and Ebiktie in Chaisson's case.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
-
In a philosophical shift away from high school recruits and toward the portal, the Longhorns signed transfers in Memphis kicker Gianni Spetic, Florida State punter Mac Chiumento and New Mexico long snapper Trey DuBuc as the replacements.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Impala Platinum has opened formal talks with Zimbabwe’s central bank and lined up meetings with both the South African and Zimbabwean governments to press for clarity on Harare’s export-earnings policy, its CEO told Semafor, escalating a commercial cash-flow dispute into bilateral negotiations.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Mostly Mute Monday tells an astronomical story in images, visuals, and no more than 200 words.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Griffin Jax took over and induced a double-play grounder from Alejandro Kirk to end the inning.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Marco Donadel notched his first victory as Montreal's head coach after taking over on an interim basis last season when the club finished 13th and missed the playoffs.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Heat backup center Kel’el Ware proved to be an effective fill-in for Adebayo on Thursday, stuffing the box score with 16 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and seven blocks in 32 minutes in the win.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
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The traffic backup on I-275 reached up to the I-696 junction at Novi by that time, with heavy traffic extending further back as morning commutes picked up.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That’s why Melnick advises senior clients to pack a blanket.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The assessment led analysts at the CIA, the State Department and the Pentagon all to advise the White House against proceeding with the operation.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fill-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fill-in. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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