fill

1 of 2

verb

filled; filling; fills

transitive verb

1
a
: to put into as much as can be held or conveniently contained
fill a cup with water
b
: to supply with a full complement
the class is filled
c(1)
: to cause to swell or billow
wind filled the sails
(2)
: to trim (a sail) to catch the wind
d
: to raise the level of with fill
filled land
e
: to repair the cavities of (teeth)
f
: to stop up : obstruct
wreckage filled the channel
g
: to stop up the interstices, crevices, or pores of (a material, such as cloth, wood, or leather) with a foreign substance
2
a
: feed, satiate
fill livestock
b
: satisfy, fulfill
fills all requirements
c
: make out, complete
used with out or in
fill out a form
fill in the blanks
d
: to draw the playing cards necessary to complete
fill a straight or flush in poker
3
a
: to occupy the whole of
smoke filled the room
b
: to spread through
music filled the air
c
: to make full
a mind filled with fantasies
4
a
: to possess and perform the duties of : hold
fill an office
b
: to place a person in
fill a vacancy
5
: to supply as directed
fill a prescription
6
: to cover the surface of with a layer of precious metal
a gold-filled bracelet

intransitive verb

: to become full
the rivers filled

fill

2 of 2

noun

1
: a full supply
especially : a quantity that satisfies or satiates
eat your fill
2
: something that fills: such as
a
: material used to fill a receptacle, cavity, passage, or low place
b
: a bit of instrumental music that fills the pauses between phrases (as of a vocalist or soloist)
c
: artificial light used in photography to reduce or eliminate shadows
often used attributively
fill flash
Phrases
fill one's shoes
: to take over one's job, position, or responsibilities
No one will be able to fill his shoes after he retires.

Examples of fill in a Sentence

Verb May I fill your glass for you? She filled her house with antiques. His massive body filled the doorway. He has enough books to fill a library. Two hundred people filled the room. fill a sheet of paper with writing a vase filled with flowers stadiums filled with cheering fans The rivers have filled and are close to flooding. The stadium filled more than an hour before the game. Noun They delivered a truckload of fill for the trench. we ripped the tag off years ago, so we have no idea what the fill in that pillow is
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The report fills a data vacuum on electric truck transition costs, said Wilfried Aulbur, senior partner at the firm. Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 When she was finished, guests filled with wonder, and many refreshments, started peeling off to bed. Sarah Wood, Vogue, 19 Mar. 2024 The retailer saw a boom in sales during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, led largely by shoppers in search of arts and crafts projects to fill the time. Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 18 Mar. 2024 Like elsewhere on the platform since its takeover by Elon Musk, Chinese-language X is increasingly filled with misinformation, propaganda and pornography. Nectar Gan, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 The holiday, igniting the inner child of those of all ages, is filled with laughs, smiles, good memories and more. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 18 Mar. 2024 Safe for children ages 3 and up, these plastic eggs are filled with colorful slime that kids can enjoy alone or with friends and siblings. Maya Polton, Parents, 18 Mar. 2024 One recent study published in the journal Obesity found that just 40% of patients who filled a prescription for Wegovy in 2021 or 2022 were still taking it a year later. Jonel Aleccia, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 The match will be included for all Netflix subscribers (many other boxing bouts still use a pay-per-view model), though tickets will be sold to fill the 80,000-seat arena. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
The eucalyptus fabric and fill are designed to be moisture-wicking and helps release heat faster to better regulate your body temperature at night. Marilyn La Jeunesse, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2024 Crafted with a heavyweight fabric, weather-resistant features, and a polyester fill, this outdoor throw pillow not only enhances your space aesthetically but also withstands the test of time. Christianna Silva, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Mar. 2024 So deep fills need to be done in layers and the base layer needs to be dry before the next one goes on. Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 The whole thing is easy to set up—inflate, fill, and add your ice. Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 4 Mar. 2024 Customers rave on social media about the Irish stew and the appetizer plates of potato skins and onion rings, both popular during the NFL season, when Molly O’s fills with fans here to watch the games. Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 If one day of skiing leaves you with wobbly legs and your fill of downhill action, there's a lot more going on at the base of the peaks. Claudia Fisher, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2024 Many coats are insulated with down feathers, but for those who would rather avoid the cost or the use of animal products, polyester is also a common fill material. Casey Clark, Parents, 5 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, a comforter consists of two pieces of fabric sewn together over a polyester or cotton fill. Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English fillen, fullen, fellen, going back to Old English fyllan, going back to Germanic *fulljan- (whence also Old Frisian fella "to fill," Old Saxon fullian, Old High German fullen, Old Icelandic fylla, Gothic fulljan), weak verb derivative from the stem of *fulla- full entry 1

Noun

(sense 1) Middle English fille, fulle, felle, going back to Old English fyllu, fyll, going back to Germanic *full-īn- (whence also Middle Dutch volle "full supply, fill," Old High German fullī, follī, Old Icelandic fylli, Gothic ufarfullei "superfluity"), from *fulla- full entry 1 + *-īn-, noun suffix of quality; (sense 2) derivative of fill entry 1

Note: As with other nouns originally formed with the suffix *-īn-, Old English has reclassed the nouns as regular *-ō feminine nouns by association with the suffix *-iþō.

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fill was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near fill

Cite this Entry

“Fill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fill. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fill

1 of 2 verb
1
: to put into as much as can be held or contained
fill one's plate
2
: to become full
puddles filling with rain
3
: satisfy sense 1a
fill all requirements
4
: to occupy fully : take up whatever space there is
clothes filled the closet
5
: to spread through
laughter filled the room
6
: to stop up (as holes) : plug
fill a crack with putty
fill a tooth
7
a
: to perform the duties of : occupy
fill the office of president
b
: to put a person in
filled several vacancies
8
: to supply according to directions
fill a prescription

fill

2 of 2 noun
1
: a full supply
especially : a quantity that satisfies
eat one's fill
2
: material used to fill a container, cavity, passage, or low place

Medical Definition

fill

transitive verb
1
: to repair the cavities of (teeth)
2
: to supply as directed
fill a prescription

More from Merriam-Webster on fill

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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