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
Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
That’s because the players who have been called up as fill-ins for the injured also were on the ice.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 23 Mar. 2026
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Apr. 2026
Instead, actor Caleb Ellsworth-Clark fills in as Dewey.
—Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fill-in
Noun
In the coming weeks, the NFL intends to begin hiring and training replacement officials, hoping to avoid a situation similar to 2012 when a stalemate led to a 110-day lockout and fill-in officials, many unprepared, were pressed into action.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
That’s because the players who have been called up as fill-ins for the injured also were on the ice.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
Elsewhere, in-room dining is served 24 hours a day, and The Pool House menu fills in any gaps with poke bowls, club sandwiches, and post-late-night-friendly bites like the breakfast burrito.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Apr. 2026
Instead, actor Caleb Ellsworth-Clark fills in as Dewey.
—Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fill-in
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fill-in
Noun
-
The substitute looks up and sends a shot crashing against the post from a tight angle.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
-
In 2025, the CMS Fraud Defense Operations Center stopped nearly $185 million in improper payments to suspect providers billing for skin substitutes.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Heorhii Tykhyi, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, said Kyiv had informed Israeli authorities about the vessels in advance.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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Luckily, the hunters brought the deer to a butcher who then informed EnCon police.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Airelles Château de la Messardière in Saint-Tropez will be filmed as the White Lotus du Cap, and the historic Hotel Martinez on the Croisette in Cannes will stand in as the White Lotus Cannes.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
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In January, after his surprising decision to fire Harbaugh, Bisciotti stood in the line of fire, owning the decision during a lengthy press conference that, because of the owner’s candor, was largely well received.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Instead, as Quick reported, Dundon has already been canvassing the basketball world for Splitter’s possible replacement while clearly not caring about the awful optics.—
Sam Amick,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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The replacement was made possible by the generous donation of an anonymous person, done in honor of his history-loving deceased wife.—
Janet Kusterer,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Federal authorities leading investigation The FBI is leading the criminal probe while the Secret Service is focusing on the suspect's behavioral profile, a senior law enforcement official briefed on the bicoastal investigation told USA TODAY.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
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From there, his reaction was telling.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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David Palmer, in his first year as South Elgin’s coach, knew the twins were his type of players early on after taking over.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Cabrera will take over Flores’ previous role as first base coach, as well as the outfield instructor job previously held by Kyle Hudson.—
Mac Cerullo,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That was the advice Queta’s veteran backup, Nikola Vucevic, had for the first-year starting center ahead of Game 6 against the 76ers on Thursday.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
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Second-year guard Saniya Rivers, who mostly played the two or three last season, ran point in the starting lineup with Leger-Walker and second-year guard Migna Toure coming in as her backups, and the lack of experience in the team’s ball-handlers was apparent in their turnover woes.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Altman is a booster for San Francisco, advising its mayor and expanding OpenAI’s offices here, while Musk shuns the city and now lives in Texas.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
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Homes in the vicinity have been evacuated and members of the public are advised to avoid the area, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said on Sunday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fill-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fill-in. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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