backfill

American  

[bak-fil] / ˈbækˌfɪl /

noun

1. material used for refilling an excavation.

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verb (used with object)

1. to refill (an excavation).

2. to make up for a loss or shortfall of supplies or funds.

   It is illegal to backfill the state budget with federal emergency funds.

3. to fill (a recently vacated position), often with an internal candidate or temp.

backfill British  

/ ˈbækˌfɪl /

verb

1. (tr) to refill an excavated trench, esp (in archaeology) at the end of an investigation

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noun

1. the soil used to do this

Etymology

Origin of backfill

First recorded in 1950–55; back ² + fill

Example Sentences

Shaun Keaveny, host of The Rock Show, will backfill the slot until the end of March.

From BBC

Federal funds account for $2.4 billion of California’s $5.3-billion public health budget, making it difficult for Newsom and state lawmakers to backfill potential cuts.

From Los Angeles Times

Taxpayers will inevitably have to backfill the losses.

From The Wall Street Journal

Other reports obtained by The Times describe federal cleanup workers, on multiple occasions, using ash-contaminated soil to backfill holes and smooth out uneven portions of fire-destroyed properties in the Palisades burn scar.

From Los Angeles Times

In addition, some 17,000 healthcare workers with H-1B visas — half of them physicians and surgeons — are helping to backfill a massive shortfall in trained medical staff in the U.S., including by working as doctors and nurses in low-income and rural neighborhoods, Bonta’s office said.

From Los Angeles Times