FILL IN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does fill in mean? 

• FILL IN (verb)
  The verb FILL IN has 4 senses:

1. supply with information on a specific topic

2. represent the effect of shade or shadow on

3. be a substitute

4. write all the required information onto a form

  Familiarity information: FILL IN used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FILL IN (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Supply with information on a specific topic

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

He filled me in on the latest developments

Hypernyms (to "fill in" is one way to...):

inform (impart knowledge of some fact, state of affairs, or event to)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 2

Meaning:

Represent the effect of shade or shadow on

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

fill in; shade

Hypernyms (to "fill in" is one way to...):

paint (make a painting)

draw (represent by making a drawing of, as with a pencil, chalk, etc. on a surface)

Domain category:

art; artistic creation; artistic production (the creation of beautiful or significant things)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fill in"):

crosshatch (shade with multiple crossing lines)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Be a substitute

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

fill in; stand in; sub; substitute

Context example:

The skim milk substitutes for cream--we are on a strict diet

Hypernyms (to "fill in" is one way to...):

change; exchange; interchange (give to, and receive from, one another)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

fill-in (someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult))

Sense 4

Meaning:

Write all the required information onto a form

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

complete; fill in; fill out; make out

Context example:

make out a form

"Fill in" entails doing...:

get down; put down; set down; write down (put down in writing; of texts, musical compositions, etc.)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

The results help fill in crucial details about ices in Jupiter-family comets and reveal that quirky 45P doesn’t quite match any comet studied so far.

(NASA Telescope Studies Quirky Comet 45P, NASA)

It was a matter only of time, when he would fill in the outline.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Afterwards he had, to fulfill the prearranged cipher, to fill in any two words in each space.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

If our offer is agreeable to you, please fill in the proper blank space with the title of your book.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)