FILLS (IN) Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

fills in

verb

present tense third-person singular of fill in

as in informs

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

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as in substitutes

to serve as a replacement usually for a time only she's only filling in while the regular secretary is on vacation

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of fills in Sherman, Maine — Behind the steering wheel of his silver pickup, Scott Bates fills in the blanks with numbers. — Rachel Siegel, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026 Seyfried, now literally playing a character in playing Holmes, also fills in for moments that Oppenheim didn’t or couldn’t record. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2026 But the clever props design (Bruce Dickinson and Anna Kraus) fills in any shoestring gaps. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026 Hydrolyzed keratin, meanwhile, fills in the gaps in the cuticle by improving elasticity and damage caused by daily styling, heat, and environmental stressors. — Madison San Miguel, Allure, 5 Sep. 2026 The movie fills in the backstory of this slow-motion trauma in a way that feels wrenchingly lifelike. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026 The rest of the weekend fills in around them through much smaller moments. — Svetlana Khachiyan, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 Reseeding fills in those gaps before bare patches take hold, which is also crucial because bare soil serves as prime real estate for weeds looking to move in uncontested. — Amanda Tust, Architectural Digest, 7 Aug. 2026 The camera's image processor takes this data and creates a color image using a technique called demosaicing, which fills in missing color by interpolating information from the surrounding pixels. — Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 31 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fills in

Verb

Parks and Recreation Director Carl Williams noted that observing the physical impact of the king tides firsthand informs smarter municipal design.

— Joan Murray, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
The statement doesn’t amount to an endorsement, a spokesperson for Caruso said, but instead simply informs people for whom Caruso planned to vote.

— Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of informs

Verb

Then, with one click of a Copy button, the website quietly substitutes a command that could put your Mac at risk.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
This approach substitutes information for sensation, and reduces both human and supra-human experiences to the level of data.

— Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

Definition of substitutes

Verb

That rare show of unity among rivals stands in sharp contrast with Thiel’s view that the push to slow AI down is not caution but something closer to evil.

— Sasha Tuddenham, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
That stands in direct contrast to attackers such as Fernandes, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, who prefer to move the ball forward quickly.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of stands in

Verb

Mike Boynton, a former assistant on May’s staff, takes over a Michigan team that returns Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney from its national championship team.

— Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
Some leaders argue that AI could end up making those human skills more valuable, predicting a renaissance in soft skills as the technology takes over rote work.

— Sam Birchall, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of takes over

Verb

Friday briefs them on Paladin, the latest in a centuries-long line of extremely dedicated bounty hunters.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
The Navy regularly briefs Courtney on classified matters in his position as ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee’s Seapower subcommittee, which oversees the country’s top defense priority, the Columba ballistic missile submarines built by Electric Boat in Groton.

— Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 18 Jan. 2026

Definition of briefs

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fills

fills in

fills (out)

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“Fills in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fills%20in. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of fills in

verb

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