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 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 I'mPhaedra Trethan, grateful to Rebecca Morin and Natalie Neysa Alund for filling in during my week off. — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026 After practice, pass game coordinator Joe Bleymaier — filling in with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy away from the team — said the plays were designed to emphasize the strengths of the team’s new personnel. — Kansas City Star, 4 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
  • The authors would like to thank HKU Musketeers Foundation Institute of Data Science for providing research funding informing this article.
    — Brian Wong, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The California Department of Social Services sent a letter Tuesday to the nonprofit network overseeing the program, informing it that the program will end in 30 days.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of informing
Verb
  • 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
  • His Rain paintings — made with a fire extinguisher standing in for a rain machine, Lucien himself directing the spray — are now iconic.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 10 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
  • 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
  • It can be made year-round, substituting in whatever fruit is available, ripe and delicious.
    — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 1 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
  • Other candidates for taking over ULA included Amazon, Vulcan’s biggest commercial customer.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Maximalist Garden Design Similar to interior design, the Rococo aesthetic, with its ornate and romantic details, is taking over garden design.
    — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 3 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 13 Sep. 2026.

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