FILLING (IN) Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

filling in

verb

present participle of fill in

as in informing

to give information to my friend quickly filled me in on the portion of the movie that I had missed

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in standing in

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 filling in For this week’s Infinite Scroll column, Brady Brickner-Wood is filling in for Kyle Chayka. — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 15 July 2026 Today, when leaders are rarely seen or heard, more people are filling in silence with assumptions and absence can quickly be interpreted as avoidance. — Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 Iqnatural Jamaican Black Castor Oil, my go-to for filling in my thinning edges, is on sale for $10 during Amazon Prime Day. — Jailynn Taylor, InStyle, 25 June 2026 Juicy blueberries burst during baking, melding with the fresh peach juices for a gorgeous, saucy filling in this pie. — Patricia S York, Southern Living, 12 June 2026 Parents are starting meal planning with the protein component first, then filling in the rest of the plate around it. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026 Most obviously, with free-agent addition Alijah Vera-Tucker still sitting out after missing last season with a torn triceps, Andrew Rupcich was filling in at left guard. — Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 29 May 2026 Garret Wallow and Jalen Graham took turns filling in for Warner at middle linebacker while second-year player Nick Martin manned the weakside spot. — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 29 May 2026 Both were postseason depth additions, and Petry played three games filling in for Bogosian. — John Shipley, Twin Cities, 20 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for filling in

Verb

Financing On Saturday, the NFL sent a memo to the other 31 teams informing their leadership about the deal.

— Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 14 July 2026
Khalra’s investigation alleged that thousands of people who had disappeared were cremated anonymously by police without informing their families or maintaining official records.

— ABC News, ABC News, 10 July 2026

Definition of informing

Verb

Moments later the Tesla Model 3 raced down a residential street in Katy, Texas, at highway speeds, slammed into a brick home and killed a 76-year-old woman standing in the front room.

— Bernard Condon, Fortune, 16 July 2026
But the Ukrainians are still confidently inside the town center, with the General Staff posting a video of one officer casually standing in Victory Square in November.

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 16 July 2026

Definition of standing in

Verb

Curator Nadine Hounkpatin, who organized the wider exhibition at Arles in which Phan’s images appear, has said that the body of work illustrates the kind of deeper truth-telling photography can do.

— Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Anna Maria says the Church had put him up for adoption without telling her.

— Bill Whitaker, CBS News, 12 July 2026

Definition of telling

Verb

In the early days of the republic, there were many radicals and reformers who shared my suspicion that patriotism was an evasion, substituting songs and speeches about liberty for the reality.

— Dominic Erdozain, Time, 3 July 2026
Run an empty load with hot water, substituting white vinegar for detergent.

— Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 30 June 2026

Definition of substituting

Verb

Dan Schnur, a former Republican turned independent and politics professor at several California universities, is advising More Choice.

— Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026
Regional airlines have mostly recovered to pre-conflict capacity levels, but the EU’s aviation watchdog issued a fresh warning advising airlines to avoid airspace over much of the region.

— Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 15 July 2026

Definition of advising

Verb

Here’s the news worth catching up on for Thursday, July 16, 2026.

— Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 16 July 2026
With this premise, Brandl brews a heady, destabilizing concoction of uncanny horror and bone-dry humor to depict a man on the brink, whose demons—whether real or imagined—just might be catching up with him.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 July 2026

Definition of catching up

Verb

Livia Chanes had been CEO for Nubank Brazil and is now taking over all of Latin America, which accounts for the bulk of the digital bank's business.

— Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 16 July 2026
Gill also reiterated that HSA had attempted to pay for utility services after taking over the hospitals but said the city insisted the company first pay Steward’s outstanding balances.

— Verónica Egui Brito July 16, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026

Definition of taking over

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filling in

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“Filling in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/filling%20in. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of filling in

verb

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