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 Panthers on Monday hired DeAngelo Hall to work with the cornerbacks, filling in a role after the team fired defensive pass game coordinator Jonathan Cooley last week. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2026 Students attend the center twice a week, with short worksheets filling in the other days. — Karen Koehler, Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2026 Kingston, a sixth-round pick of the 49ers in 2024, played well filling in for Saviianaea in the second half of the Bengals game. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026 In addition to filling in Balaban’s gaps with a tedious litany of mathematical steps, the agents also made some genuine innovations. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2026 Joshua Ezeudu, filling in for the Jaylon Moore (concussion), allowed five pressures, the third most for any offensive lineman in the league this week. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026 My husband is filling in (as village president), but he's already done his two years. — CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 Alan Bersten is filling in for Val this week with Jenna Dewan. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026 Bersten, who is filling in this week as Dewan’s partner, was previously paired with celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis before they were eliminated earlier in the season. — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 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 Senate sergeant at arms also issued a notice to congressional staff informing them of the investigation.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • In an interview, Freja Day, the brand’s chief executive officer, said menswear has been part of Soeur’s creative language since the beginning, informing its approach to clothing and silhouette.
    — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of informing
Verb
  • Watson lived there with his sister and was standing in the doorway, Cantrell said.
    — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The attack ads that exaggerate and lie about their opponents, without mentioning their myopic support for their dear leader whose baggage has destroyed America’s standing in the world, are astounding.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of standing in
Verb
  • Using such guidelines as the standard is reasonable, which is exactly what makes his handling of them so telling.
    — Torie Bosch, STAT, 24 Oct. 2026
  • One invective accuses the directors of destroying the truth-telling potential of documentary.
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of telling
Verb
  • For the dirt topping, feel free to follow your imagination and taste, substituting or replacing any of the ingredients with your favorite chocolate cookies or treats while still keeping the visual appearance of a varied, crumbly soil.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • His reverence for her motherhood — which the film avoids asking her about, substituting discussion with endless visuals of her breastfeeding and swinging her children through the waves — echoes the themes of season one.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of substituting
Verb
  • The ancient Celtic poem advising not to hurry through grief continues to bring comfort.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Park officials have informed the local communities in and around the affected area about the outbreak, advising people not to touch or consume any animals found dead and instead report them to authorities, Parker said.
    — Morgan Winsor, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of advising
Verb
  • Historians, scholars and philosophers are stepping in to offer some solutions and warnings.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The tension follows the women to Courtney’s event celebrating her husband’s birthday, where the real entertainment for the evening was Tia and Gizelle lacing stepping in the ring.
    — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of stepping in
Verb
  • Despite age clearly catching up with him, Ronaldo continued starting despite his impact waning and fans began to grow frustrated.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The real takeaway here is that while the Nvidia RTX Spark hardware is capable, Apple has had several generations to ramp up its silicon performance, and Nvidia still has some catching up to do in this class of tests.
    — Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of catching up
Verb
  • The winner will replace outgoing Treasurer Fiona Ma, taking over an office responsible for managing the state's investments, public borrowing and financing programs.
    — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • But the state sued to stop the district from taking over, and a court sided with the state late in 2024.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of taking over

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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 8 Nov. 2026.

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