fill
/fɪl
/verb
1 [with object] Cause (a space or container) to become full or almost full: I filled up the bottle with water the office was filled with reporters...
- Spoon batter into muffin pan which has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray, filling each cup ¾ full.
- We filled two bin liners full of broken glass, cans and bottles.
- Do not fill the bottles too full as this drink is very fizzy.
Synonyms
make/become full, fill up, fill to the brim, fill to overflowing, top up, charge, load (up), pack
crowd, throng, pack (into), jam, occupy all of, press into, squeeze into, cram (into);
overcrowd, congest, overfill
stock, pack, load;
supply, furnish, provide, replenish, restock, refill
block up, bung up, stop (up), plug, seal, caulk, close, clog (up), choke, obstruct, occlude, dam up
1.1Block up (a cavity in a tooth) with cement, amalgam, or gold.In six European countries, dentists cannot legally fill teeth with silver amalgam (mercury)....
- The compaction of amalgam into the cavity is not simply a matter of filling the hole.
- No one likes to do it, no one likes to spend the money or time, but filling a cavity is a whole lot cheaper than having a root canal.
1.2 [no object] Become full: Elinor’s eyes filled with tears the dining car filled up...
- But when the net filled so full with fish that they couldn't pull it into the boat, Peter realised that it was Jesus.
- The place was only a third full when we arrived, but as it filled, the slower and slower everything became.
- That keeps the waiting room full, and until recently, the coffers filled.
1.3 [no object] (fill up) Fill the fuel tank of a car.What happens if you drive the car out of state and fill up with high-sulfur fuel?...
- The AA advises customers to shop around for fuel and to avoid filling up at motorway service stations.
- Just recently a relative of mine was relieved of her handbag while getting into her car after filling up at a local petrol station.
1.4Become an overwhelming presence in; pervade: a pungent smell of garlic filled the air...
- The strong smell of his presence filled her senses and she found herself babbling uncontrollably, unable so stop.
- Screams of nineteen other petrified people filled the air and pervaded my hearing.
- The super-cute shop is always inviting, with the lovely smell of roses filling the air and rose petals scattered outside the entrance.
Synonyms
pervade, spread throughout/through, permeate, suffuse, be diffused through, diffuse through, imbue, penetrate, pass through, infuse, perfuse, extend throughout, be disseminated through, flow through, run through, saturate, impregnate
1.5Cause (someone) to experience a strong emotion or feeling: his presence filled us with foreboding...
- The fade-to-black at the end fills you with emotion and happiness; which is what a good film and a good song should do.
- But as she explains to Jan Goodwin, her childhood was blighted by polio - an experience that filled her with fighting spirit
- This experience does not fill me with confidence as to your abilities in the acquisition arena…
1.6 [no object] (Of a sail) curve out tautly from its supports as the wind blows into it.The wind had risen, the ropes cracking and straining even louder as the sails filled to capacity....
- For a while the ship kept bucking and sidling, the sails filling, now on one tack, now on another, till the mast groaned aloud under the strain.
- Mark watched the other ship draw closer, sensing the increase in their own speed as the sails filled again and the oarsman got their rhythm.
1.7(Of the wind) blow into (a sail), causing it to curve outwards.The wind filled the sails and the ropes creaked and stretched with the strain as the ship ploughed through the waves....
- On its long Atlantic voyage, the armada made good progress with favourable winds filling the sails.
- By the time I got my main down they'd headed off in a circle because the wind filled their downed sail and it was like trying to catch an insane dolphin - but I did.
2Appoint a person to hold (a vacant post): the board contacted him to say they had already filled the position...
- In 1913 Eddington was appointed to fill the vacant position of Plumian Professor of Astronomy.
- It decided against filling the vacant post and the position won't be reviewed until later in the year.
- He added that despite several requests, the state government was not filling the posts lying vacant in the corporation.
2.1Hold and perform the expected duties of (a post or role): he had filled the post in an acting capacity for some time...
- She did a great job, considering she didn't have a clue and wasn't expecting to be filling this role.
- Jon Parkin is set to play in defence and is expected to fill that role at Northampton on Saturday when Chris Smith and Darren Edmondson are both suspended.
- It follows the departure from frontline politics of several MSPs who were expected to fill important roles when elected in 1999.
Synonyms
occupy, hold, take up, be in, have
informal hold down
2.2Satisfy or fulfil (a want or need): community land trusts are a way to fill the pressing need for housing...
- Either would be an immediate upgrade, but neither player fills a pressing need.
- The Redskins won't be shy about trading a midround pick, likely a third- or fourth-round selection, to fill a pressing need.
- The latest Japanese craze fills the final need.
Synonyms
carry out, complete, fulfil, execute, perform, implement, discharge, bring about
rare effectuate
3Occupy or take up (a period of time): the next few days were filled with meetings...
- Months of social functions, illness and injuries have filled the intervening period.
- In fact, the entire flight back was filled with chatter regarding how we planned to fill our days before the long cruise.
- From the early seventies, the programmes started at 4.10, filling a ninety-minute period.
4chiefly North American Be supplied with the items described in (a prescription or order).A register of prescriptions filled by local pharmacies provided continuous data on use of cholesterol lowering drugs....
- After months of struggling to get enough chips to fill orders, supply is improving.
- The basic job consists of maintaining the inventory of books and filling the orders from members as they come in.
5(In poker) complete (a good hand) by drawing the necessary cards.Replace any cards you popped with ones from your hand (face up) and then draw card to fill your hand to five....
- The dealer fills everyone's hand back to 6, and play resumes as normal.
- Lee has 9-9 making top trips but he has to be wary of players staying with four-flushes and four-straights hoping to fill their hands.
noun
1 (one's fill) An amount of something which is as much as one wants or can bear: we have eaten our fill I’ve had my fill of surprises for one day...
- Once you have had your fill of plain smoked salmon with brown bread and butter, think about using it in cooking.
- As far as I'm concerned I've had my fill of Tim.
- Well I've had my fill of fairness this afternoon.
Synonyms
enough, sufficient, plenty, ample, as much as necessary, all one wants, a sufficiency, an abundance, as much as one can take, more than enough
2An amount of something which will occupy all the space in a container: a fill of tobacco...
- 7.48 A.M. I drop my brother off at Newlands Cross and get a fill of petrol in the station there.
- Just £15 will buy you a fill of Perfect Storm - a heady mix of compressed air, nitrous oxide and gaseous caffeine.
- The vouchers can be used to buy clothes, tyres, a fill of oil, groceries, electrical goods - the list goes on and on.
2.1 [mass noun] Material, typically loose or compacted, which fills a space, especially in building or engineering work: loose polystyrene fill...
- It comes in lightweight easy-to-handle bags and should be used in the same manner as loose fill or cellulose.
- Another method is to pour or blow in loose fill or cellulose insulation up to the joists for an even surface.
- Suitable material was used as required for building highway fill.
2.2 [mass noun] The action of filling something, especially of shading in a region of a computer graphics display.In many cases, its playable image quality surpassed the GeForce 6800 Ultra thanks to its superior fill rate and memory bandwidth....
- In looking at fill rate performance, we're looking at two things: pixel fill rate, and texture fill rate.
- It has an eight-pixel pipeline, as does the S8, capable of a 2.4 billion pixels per second fill rate.
2.3(In popular music) a short interjected phrase on a particular instrument.By the album's last few tracks, the fills outweigh the backbeats to the point where he's pushing fusion jazz territory....
- Req doesn't spend time drawing complicated drum-and-bass fills into a sequencer.
- As the drummer spits out a cacophony of quick-wristed rhythms and slashing fills, the music rages on to a cathartic finale.
Phrases
fill the bill
fill one's boots
fill someone's shoes (or boots)
Phrasal verbs
fill in
fill someone in
fill something in
fill out
fill something out
Origin
Old English fyllan (verb), fyllu (noun) of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vullen and German füllen (verbs), Fülle (noun), also to full1.