EnglishMain Dictionary
fill
Universal Words
verb, noun
verb
make full
1 ~ (sth) (with sth) to make sth full of sth; to become full of sth:
[VN] to fill a hole with earth / a bucket with water * to fill a vacuum / void * Please fill this glass for me. * The school is filled to capacity. * Smoke filled the room. * The wind filled the sails. * A Disney film can always fill cinemas (= attract a lot of people to see it). * [VN-ADJ] Fill a pan half full of water. * [V] The room was filling quickly. * Her eyes suddenly filled with tears. * The sails filled with wind.
block hole
2 [VN] to block a hole with a substance:
The crack in the wall had been filled with plaster. * I need to have two teeth filled (= to have FILLINGS put in them). * (figurative) The product has filled a gap in the market.
with feeling
3 [VN] ~ sb (with sth) to make sb have a strong feeling:
We were all filled with admiration for his achievements.
with smell / sound / light
4 [VN] ~ sth (with sth) if a smell, sound or light fills a place, it is very strong, loud or bright and easy to notice
-filled
5 (in adjectives) full of the thing mentioned:
a smoke-filled room * a fun-filled day
a need
6 [VN] to stop people from continuing to want or need sth:
More nurseries will be built to fill the need for high-quality child care.
job
7 [VN] to do a job, have a role or position, etc:
He fills the post satisfactorily (= performs his duties well). * The team needs someone to fill the role of manager very soon.
8 [VN] to appoint sb to a job:
The vacancy has already been filled.
time
9 [VN] ~ sth (up) to use up a particular period of time doing sth:
How do you fill your day now that you've retired?
with food
10 [VN] ~ sb / yourself (up) (with sth) (informal) to make sb/yourself feel unable to eat any more:
The kids filled themselves with snacks and now they don't want any lunch.
an order
11 [VN] if sb fills an order or a PRESCRIPTION, they give the customer what they have asked for
seealsoUNFILLED
IDIOMS
fill sb's shoes / boots to do sb's job in a satisfactory way when they are not there
moreatBILLn.
PHRASALVERBS
fill in (for sb) to do sb's job for a short time while they are not there
fill sth<->in
1 (also fill sth<->out especially in AmE) to complete a form, etc. by writing information on it:
to fill in an application form * To order, fill in the coupon on p 54.
2 to fill sth completely:
The hole has been filled in.
3 to spend time doing sth while waiting for sth more important:
He filled in the rest of the day watching television.
4 to complete a drawing, etc. by covering the space inside the outline with colour
fill sb in (on sth) to tell sb about sth that has happened
fill out to become larger, rounder or fatter
fill sth<->out = FILLSTHIN(1)
fill up (with sth)