backfill

verb

back·​fill ˈbak-ˌfil How to pronounce backfill (audio)
backfilled; backfilling; backfills

transitive + intransitive

: to refill (something, such as an excavation) usually with excavated material
backfill a trench
backfill noun

Examples of backfill in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Proposition 38 aims to backfill some of that loss by creating a stable source of money to fund immunology and immunotherapy research. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026 The tax has the potential to raise as much revenue as a 5% income tax on all Californian taxpayers, and even raise about $100 billion to backfill federal Medicaid cuts. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2026 Set a basket inside each hole, place the plant or bulb in the basket, and backfill it with soil. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2026 For example, the United States bought 155-millimeter artillery shells from South Korea and PAC-3 interceptors from Japan to backfill American munitions for Ukraine. — Eric Ciaramella, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for backfill

Word History

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of backfill was in 1874

Rhymes for backfill

See All Rhymes for backfill

Browse Nearby Words

back file
backfill
backfiller
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Backfill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backfill. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All