fill-in

1 of 2

noun

ˈfil-ˌin 

: someone or something that fills in

fill in

2 of 2

verb

filled in; filling in; fills in

transitive verb

1

: to enrich (something, such as a design) with detail

2

: to give necessary or recently acquired information to

I'll fill you in

intransitive verb

: to fill a vacancy usually temporarily

interns filled in for regular staffers

Synonyms

Noun

• backup
• cover
• designated hitter
• locum tenens
• pinch hitter
• relief
• replacement
• reserve
• stand-in
• sub
• substitute

Verb

• acquaint
• advise
• apprise
• brief
• catch up
• clear
• clue (in)
• enlighten
• familiarize
• hip
• inform
• instruct
• tell
• verse
• wise (up)

Examples of fill-in in a Sentence

Noun

I'm just a fill-in, so I have no idea where office supplies are kept

Verb

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

she's only filling in while the regular secretary is on vacation

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Hall anchors Channel 58's Saturday morning newscast, along with her reporting shifts and fill-in anchor duties. —Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 19 Dec. 2024

Rush Limbaugh fill-in Birch Barlow pressures Mayor Quimby into releasing Sideshow Bob from prison. —Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024

Verb

As injuries piled up to linebackers, the 49ers turned to Campbell to fill in. —Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024

Slip and slide The Wild have had to rely on their depth from AHL Iowa due to injuries, with a bunch of forwards filling in. —Joe Smith, The Athletic, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1917, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1840, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

fill in

verb

1

: to furnish with specified information

fill in an application

filled us in on the latest news

2

: to fill a vacancy usually temporarily : substitute

filled in during the emergency