fill

FIL/fɪl/

Verbfills, filling, filled

Noun pluralfills

18 meanings of fill

Practice

1
pour inverbtransitive
To make something full, or to become full.
Like pouring sand into a jar until it reaches the very top.
Please fill the glass with cold water.
She filled the bucket at the outdoor tap.
UsageSay fill something with something: fill the glass with water.
Similarload, pack, stuff, cram
Oppositeempty, drain, clear
2
pack a placeverbtransitive
To take up all the space in a place, or spread all through it.
Like clothes packed so tightly the drawer won't close.
Boxes filled the whole garage.
Her books fill every shelf in the room.
UsageSay a smell or sound fills the room.
Similaroccupy, crowd, pack
Note
3
swell with (feeling)verbintransitive
To become full of something that spreads through a place or person.
Like a room slowly filling with the smell of fresh bread.
The boy filled with fear when the lights went out.
Their hearts fill with joy whenever she sings.
UsageSay fill with a feeling: filled with fear.
Similarswell, flood
4
job openingverbtransitive
To give a job or place to someone so it is no longer empty.
Like finding someone to sit in an empty chair.
The company filled the empty role quickly.
We need to fill this position before summer.
UsageYou fill a job, not a person.
Note
5
complete an orderverbtransitive
To do what an order or request asks for.
Like a waiter bringing exactly what you asked for.
The factory filled our order in two days.
Please fill this prescription at the pharmacy.
UsageSay fill an order or fill a prescription.
Similarfulfill, complete, dispense, execute, meet
Note
6
act of loadingnouncountable or uncountable
The act of filling a container or space, or the amount it takes to do so.
Each fill of the tank took nearly an hour.
One fill of my water bottle lasts the whole hike.
Similarcharge
Note
7
satisfy hungerverbtransitive
To give someone enough food so they are no longer hungry.
Like a big meal that leaves you completely satisfied.
A bowl of stew filled the hungry children.
This hearty soup will fill you until dinner.
UsageSay fill you up: the soup will fill you up.
Similarfeed, satisfy, sate, satiate
Note
8
loose materialnouncountable or uncountable
Soil, stones, or other loose material that fills a hole, ditch, or low area of ground.
Like stuffing crumpled paper into a box so things don't shift around.
The crew dumped truckloads of fill into the trench.
They brought in gravel as fill behind the new wall.
Similarbackfill
Note

Less common meanings

9
tooth repairverbtransitive
To repair a tooth by putting special material into a hole in it.
Like patching a small hole in a wall with putty.
The dentist filled my tooth this morning.
They will fill the cavity at the next visit.
UsageThe dentist fills a tooth, and you get a filling.
Similarrestore
10
as much as wantednouncountable or uncountable
As much of something as you need or want.
Like eating until your plate is empty and you want no more.
The children ate their fill of berries.
He drank his fill from the cold spring.
UsageSay eat your fill or have had your fill of something.
Note
11
block a passageverbtransitive
To block or close up an opening by packing it with material.
Like stuffing a crack so nothing can get through.
She filled the gap under the door with an old towel.
Mud can fill a drainpipe and stop the water flowing.
Similarblock, clog, choke, plug, obstruct
Oppositeclear, unblock
12
musicnouncountable or uncountable
A short piece of music played in the gap between the main parts of a tune to hold the listener's attention.
Like a small doodle drawn in an empty space on a page.
The drummer added a quick fill before the chorus.
She played a short fill to bridge the two verses.
Similarlick, riff, flourish
Note
13
soft lightnouncountable or uncountableabbreviationellipsis
Short for fill light. It means the extra soft light used to soften shadows on a subject.
The camera operator added a soft fill to lighten her face.
Bounce a little fill off the wall to cut the shadows.
Note
14
raised banknouncountable or uncountable
A raised bank of earth built to close up a hollow or valley, as under a railroad track.
Like building a ramp of dirt to cross a dip in the ground.
Workers built up a tall fill to carry the tracks across the valley.
Trucks dumped earth to raise the fill above the floodline.
Similarembankment, bank, causeway
Oppositecut, cutting
Note
15
verbslang
To release semen inside a person or thing.
16
verbslang
To have sex with a woman.
17
noun
The crosswise threads woven through the lengthwise threads in cloth.
18
verb
To turn a ship's yard so the wind pushes on the back of the sails.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of fill apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–5, 7, 9, 11

From Old English fyllan, meaning "to fill," which came from an old root meaning "full."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

Fill descends from Old English fyllan. en.wiktionary.org
Old English fyllan meant to fill. en.wiktionary.org
The verb derives from an older form meaning full. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 6, 8, 10, 12–14

From Old English fyllu, meaning "fullness."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

The noun fill derives from Old English fyllu. en.wiktionary.org
Old English fyllu meant fullness. en.wiktionary.org