fill

[[t]fɪ̱l[/t]]

♦♦

fills, filling, filled

1) V-ERG If you fill a container or area, or if it fills, an amount of something enters it that is enough to make it full.

[V n with n] Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a slow boil...

[V n] She made sandwiches, filled a flask and put sugar in...

[V with n] The victims' lungs fill quickly with fluid...

[V with n] The boy's eyes filled with tears...

While the bath was filling, he padded about in his underpants.

Ant:

empty

PHR-V-ERG

Fill up means the same as fill.

V n P Pass me your cup, Amy, and I'll fill it up for you... Also V P, V P n (not pron) V P with n Warehouses at the frontier between the two countries fill up with sacks of rice and flour.

2) VERB If something fills a space, it is so big, or there are such large quantities of it, that there is very little room left.

[V n] He cast his eyes at the rows of cabinets that filled the enormous work area...

[V n] The text fills 231 pages.

Derived words:

filled ADJ-GRADED v-link ADJ with n

...four museum buildings filled with historical objects.

-filled COMB in ADJ

...the flower-filled courtyard of an old Spanish colonial house.

PHRASAL VERB

Fill up means the same as fill.

Also V n P V P n (not pron) ...the complicated machines that fill up today's laboratories.

3) VERB If you fill a crack or hole, you put a substance into it in order to make the surface smooth again.

[V n with n] Fill small holes with wood filler in a matching colour...

[V n] The gravedigger filled the grave.

PHRASAL VERB

Fill in means the same as fill.

Also V P n (not pron) V n P If any cracks have appeared in the tart case, fill these in with raw pastry.

4) VERB If a sound, smell, or light fills a space, or the air, it is very strong or noticeable.

[V n] In the parking lot of the school, the siren filled the air...

[V n with n] All the light bars were turned on which filled the room with these rotating beams of light...

[V-ed] The barn was filled with the sour-sweet smell of fresh dung.

Derived words:

-filled COMB in ADJ

...another sunshine-filled day.

...those whose work forces them to be in dusty or smoke-filled environments.

5) VERB If something fills you with an emotion, or if an emotion fills you, you experience this emotion strongly.

[V n with n] I admired my father, and his work filled me with awe and curiosity...

[V n] He looked at me without speaking, and for the first time I could see the pride that filled him...

[V-ed] He stared at his favourite child, dismayed, filled with fear.

6) VERB If you fill a period of time with a particular activity, you spend the time in this way.

[V n] If she wants a routine to fill her day, let her do community work. [Also V n with n]

PHRASAL VERB

Fill up means the same as fill.

Also V n P V P n (not pron) On Thursday night she went to her yoga class, glad to have something to fill up the evening.

7) VERB If something fills a need or a gap, it puts an end to this need or gap by existing or being active.

[V n] ...properly organized and staffed day-care programs fill a need which allows family structures to remain intact...

[V n] She brought him a sense of fun, of gaiety that filled a gap in his life.

8) VERB If something fills a role, position, or function, they have that role or position, or perform that function, often successfully.

[V n] Dena was filling the role of diplomat's wife with the skill she had learned over the years.

Syn:

fulfil

9) VERB If a company or organization fills a job vacancy, they choose someone to do the job. If someone fills a job vacancy, they accept a job that they have been offered.

[V n] One problem not mentioned is the unemployed may not have the skills to fill the vacancies on offer...

[V n] A vacancy has arisen which I intend to fill.

10) VERB If you fill yourself with food, you eat so much that you do not feel hungry.

[V pron-refl with n] They joked and drank coffee and filled themselves with chocolate cake.

Syn:

stuff

11) VERB A play, film, or performer that fills a theatre, concert hall, or cinema attracts a very large audience.

[V n] Children are enthralled by his stories; he has been known to fill theatre halls in Australia.

12) VERB When a dentist fills someone's tooth, he or she puts a filling in it.

[V n] It is almost impossible to find a dentist who will fill a tooth on the National Health.

13) VERB If you fill an order or a prescription, you provide the things that are asked for. [mainly AM]

[V n] A pharmacist can fill any prescription if, in his or her judgment, the prescription is valid.

14) PHRASE: V inflects If you have had your fill of something, you have had enough of it, and do not want to experience it any more or do it any more.

We feel that we have had our fill of disappointments and emotional upsets.

15) to fill the bill → see bill

Phrasal Verbs:

- fill in

- fill out

- fill up