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backfill

[ bak-fil ]
/ ˈbækˌfɪl /
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noun
material used for refilling an excavation.
verb (used with object)
to refill (an excavation).
to make up for a loss or shortfall of supplies or funds: It is illegal to backfill the state budget with federal emergency funds.
to fill (a recently vacated position), often with an internal candidate or temp.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of backfill

First recorded in 1950–55; back2 + fill
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use backfill in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for backfill

backfill
/ (ˈbækˌfɪl) /

verb
(tr) to refill an excavated trench, esp (in archaeology) at the end of an investigation
noun
the soil used to do this
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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