I. ˈfil verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English fillen, from Old English fyllan; akin to Old High German fullen to fill, Old Norse fylla, Gothic fulljan; causative from the root of English full (I)
transitive verb
1.
a.
(1) : to supply with as much as can be held or contained
filling the holes in the road
(2) : to place or put as much material in as can be often conveniently contained
fill a box
: pour as much of a substance into as can be conveniently held
fill a cup
fill a barrel with apples
(3) : to furnish (as a container) especially in proportion : provide
fill a glass with water
fill a page with print
(4) : to provide (as a container) with a specified amount
fill it half full
(5) : pour
fill wine into bottles
: load , put
fill coal into bins
(6) : to make full or complete (as a partly empty line or an incomplete column in printed matter) by respacing the existing printed matter or by adding matter
(7) : to give a pleasingly full form to (as a dress) in wearing — often used with out
she filled the dress nicely
he began to fill his suits out well as he grew older
b.
(1) : to stop up : obstruct
wreckage filled the channel
— often used with up
the traffic jam filled the street up completely
(2) : to make an embankment in or raise the level of (a low place) with earth, gravel, or rock
c.
(1) : plug
fill a chink
: caulk
fill the seams with oakum
(2) : to stop up the interstices, crevices, or pores of (as cloth, wood, leather) with some foreign substance for the sake of hardening, dressing, or adulterating
(3) : load 3c(1)
(4) : to close up (a cavity in a tooth) with gold, silver, or other comparatively inert material
d. obsolete : impregnate
e.
(1) : to feed and water (livestock) immediately before sale to increase the apparent weight
(2) : to stuff (a food) with a filling
filled rolls
2.
a. : to occupy the whole of
his huge bulk filled the chair
b. : to swarm in : pervade
shoppers filled the city
c.
(1) : pack , load , surfeit
her presence filled his heart with joy
filled his head with foolish ideas
(2) : satisfy , satiate
fill their guest with good food
(3) : to belly out : distend — often used with out
the wind filled the sails out
d.
(1) : to supply fully or completely
fill a long-felt want
(2) : stock
fill a stream with trout
3.
a. : to execute or fulfill the requirements of (a business order)
b. : to complete or make out — often used with out
fill out a check
or up
fill up the blanks in a questionnaire
or in
fill in the tax form
c. : to make up (a prescription)
4.
a. : occupy , hold
fill a throne
b. : to provide with incumbents
fill vacancies left by retirements
— often used with up
c. : to possess and perform the duties of
fill an office
5. : to trim (a sail) so that the wind will blow on the after side
6. : to cover the surface of with a layer of precious metal — used chiefly as a past participle
a gold- filled watch
7. : to draw the cards in poker necessary to complete (a full house, a flush, or a straight)
intransitive verb
1.
a.
(1) : to become full
the rivers filled
(2) of the eyes : to become full with tears
(3) : to become so suffused with ink (as of the bowl of a letter or the space between the dots of a halftone) as to print improperly — often used with in or up
b. : to have the whole capacity occupied
the stadium filled and overflowed
c. : to fill a cup or glass for drinking
2.
a. : to become blocked, burdened, or obstructed by or as if by accumulations — often used with in
the harbor gradually filled in
or up
the channel filled up
b.
(1) : to become heavy, choked, or fraught
his heart filled at the words
their expressions filled with grief
(2) : to swell out in or as if in fullness
the sails filled with wind
her body began to fill out
the balloon filled up
3. : to complete a full house, flush, or straight in poker
•
- fill one's shoes
- fill the bill
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English fille, from Old English fyllo; akin to Old High German fulli fill, abundance, Old Norse fyllr, Gothic ufar fullei great abundance; derivative from the root of English full (I)
1. : a full supply ; especially : a quantity that satisfies or satiates — usually used with a possessive
eat your fill
she wept her fill
2.
a.
(1) : material used to fill a receptacle, cavity, or passage
fill for a trench
— see backfill ; compare gob
(2) : an embankment (as in railroad construction) to fill a hollow or ravine or the place filled by such an embankment ; also : the depth of the filling material when in place
(3) : material that is used to take up unused or vacant periods (as in a radio or television schedule)
b. : the contents of the digestive tract of an animal
3. : the maximum width of the paper producible by a particular papermaking machine
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: by alteration
chiefly dialect : thill
IV. noun
: a bit of instrumental music that fills the pauses between phrases (as of a vocalist or soloist)