backfill

[ bak-fil ]
/ ˈbækˌfɪl /

noun

material used for refilling an excavation.

verb (used with object)

to refill (an excavation).

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of backfill

First recorded in 1950–55; back2 + fill

Words nearby backfill

backer, backer-up, backfall, backfield, backfile, backfill, backfire, backfist, backfit, backflap hinge, backflash
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

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