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filling in

verb

present participle of fill in
1
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
2
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 The shampoo gently dissolves daily build-up, filling in cracks of damage to leave hair healthy, soft and supple while the rich, luxurious conditioner helps bring damaged hair back to life. — ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026 The fund now focuses on creating new programs to rethink rural health, instead of filling in financial gaps. — Daniel Payne, STAT, 14 Sep. 2026 Mykolenko was filling in as the right-back because of a move Rashford started. — Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 As the sneaker’s nickname suggests, a dark green is the highlight color, filling in the jagged midsole, Jumpman badge and suede heel hit. — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026 LaNeve, who is filling in as the Army’s top uniformed officer, recently ordered the battalion to refocus on its core mission of being an airborne infantry unit. — Konstantin Toropin, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 Jelly Roll shared his thoughts on Dolly Parton while filling in as guest host on Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026 Is Barron capable of filling in if Patrick Surtain II or Moss miss time, which has happened each of the last two seasons? — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 19 Aug. 2026 The comedian, who is filling in for vacationing host Jimmy Kimmel, reflected back on her stint from 1996-2002 on her own talk show, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, in her first monologue of the week. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for filling in
  1. informing
  2. standing in
  3. telling
  4. substituting
  5. advising
  6. stepping in
  7. catching up
  8. taking over
Verb
  • That story should be informing every interaction, from the next offer to the next underwriting decision.
    — Jess Turner, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Murray recommended documenting the issue first and informing your neighbor, then trimming only the relevant parts of the tree.
    — Blaise Mesa, jsonline.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of informing
Verb
  • Moving wild horses to the farm prevents them from accessing natural fly remedies on the Outer Banks, which include standing in strong breezes on the beach, rolling in the sand and even wading into the ocean.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Stefanos Tsitsipas was the last man or woman with the stroke standing in New York, but he was well beaten by Ben Shelton in the fourth round.
    — Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of standing in
Verb
  • The first online evacuation order came on August 5 for residents of Mansouri, near Tyre, though Israel had already dropped leaflets on the village just a week into the ceasefire, telling ‌residents to leave ahead of strikes.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Antonelli had doubted his chances of such a fightback on Thursday, telling reporters that getting back into the top five was a realistic target.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of telling
Verb
  • In fact, substituting toys for all hazards and unwanted behaviors are excellent protective measures.
    — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • More concerning changes include consistently struggling to recall familiar words, substituting incorrect words, losing the meaning of common words, or experiencing memory problems that are getting worse or interfering with everyday life.
    — Allison Forsyth, HEALTH, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of substituting
Verb
  • Morton joins the footwear firm from after serving as an independent consultant, advising brands including Fortnum & Mason on consumer strategy, transformation and international growth.
    — Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The airport has warned that disruption will continue and is advising passengers to check directly with their airline before traveling.
    — Alessia Armenise, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of advising
Verb
  • While stepping in as press secretary, Vance responded to a question from the Washington Examiner about 2028 hopefuls, such as Cruz and War Secretary Pete Hegseth, by telling Republicans to focus on the midterm elections.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Whenever either of them is absent, Estevao is very capable of stepping in.
    — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of stepping in
Verb
  • My room had a compact seating nook (perfect for catching up on work), along with a private balcony overlooking the Plaza.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Down the hall, the parents of the bakers with special needs were sitting in a lounge drinking coffee and catching up.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of catching up
Verb
  • Club portfolio director Jeff Marks agreed, pointing to predictions earlier this year that Warsh would cut rates upon taking over as Fed chairman.
    — Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Lazzara grew up in High Point before joining Long Island’s Taking Back Sunday on bass and eventually taking over as lead vocalist.
    — Courtney Devores, Charlotte Observer, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of taking over

Browse Nearby Words

filling
filling in
filling (out)
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Cite this Entry

“Filling in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/filling%20in. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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