as in substitute
a person or thing that takes the place of another
I'm just a fill-in, so I have no idea where office supplies are kept
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to inform
to give information to
my friend quickly filled me in on the portion of the movie that I had missed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to substitute
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
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Recent Examples of fill-in
Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
That timing drastically cuts down USC’s options for finding a fill-in opponent to open the season against at the Coliseum.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Tom Winter, NBC news, 4 Feb. 2026
Boston, meanwhile, addresses its meaningful hole at the center position with a former All-Star that fills in a stylistic gap left behind by Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis, and in the process, took a step towards reaching its financial goals.
—Jori Parys, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fill-in
Noun
For now, Sturm will ask more of his fill-in centers.
—Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
That timing drastically cuts down USC’s options for finding a fill-in opponent to open the season against at the Coliseum.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Verb
Mary Carillo will fill in for Savannah Guthrie as co-host of the opening ceremony alongside sportscaster Terry Gannon, NBC Sports announced Wednesday afternoon.
—Tom Winter, NBC news, 4 Feb. 2026
Boston, meanwhile, addresses its meaningful hole at the center position with a former All-Star that fills in a stylistic gap left behind by Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis, and in the process, took a step towards reaching its financial goals.
—Jori Parys, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fill-in
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fill-in
Noun
-
Among the recovered materials, dysprosium, ytterbium, and erbium are considered high-value due to strong demand and limited substitutes, while yttrium and gadolinium are widely used in electronics, lighting, and healthcare.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
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The sweet side using natural flavors are the Rafaello crepe with coconut, Nutella and strawberries, while the Valentine’s crepe substitutes crème patissiere for the coconut.—
George Castle,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The experience informed his attitude toward the Oklahoma Insurance Department, with which Coppermark has had a long and litigious relationship.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoman,
10 Feb. 2026
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Facts need to be robustly and responsibly established before they’re used to inform our decision-making process.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The sobering assessment stood in stark contrast to a year of headlines celebrating China’s AI boom.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Protesters stood in front of the main gate and refused to leave.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
After the Maduro regime barred Machado, both academic Corina Yoris and former presidential candidate Manuel Rosales were considered as possible replacements.—
Alessandra Freitas,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
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Bryan Griffin, the founder of Patriot Maids Cleaning Services, agrees and says regular replacement will help prevent the spread of germs and maintain better kitchen hygiene.—
Jane Kim,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But one person familiar with the decisions told Semafor that at least one executive from a company described by the survey had reached out to multiple outlets asking for the pieces to be taken down, arguing that the survey data was faulty and biased.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
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Both countries will be having their second round of talks on Tuesday in Geneva, Tehran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC, adding that the Iran is ready to discuss restricting its nuclear program for lighter sanctions and economic benefits for both sides.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And state oil company NNPC is holding talks with independent companies to take over the operation of the government’s moribund refineries, NNPC chief Bayo Ojulari said, including one last week with a Chinese petrochemical plants builder.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
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Maybe take over the Senate, too.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Look for services that advertise end-to-end or client-side encryption, such as Signal for messages, or Apple's Advanced Data Protection option for iCloud backups.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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But the emergence of Luka Garza as a capable backup big man pushed Mazzulla away from smaller second units, and Minott fell behind fellow reserve wings Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Still, the Department of War, formerly known as the Department of Defense, advises that most UAP sightings can actually be identified as planes, balloons, drones and weather events.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
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Hunters and birdwatchers are advised to wear gloves when handling birds or feeders, to wash hands thoroughly after any contact, and to not eating birds that appear sick or birds that are found dead.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fill-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fill-in. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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