backfill

[ bak-fil ]

/ ˈbækˌfɪl /

noun

material used for refilling an excavation.

verb (used with object)

to refill (an excavation).

Nearby words

backer,
backer-up,
backfall,
backfield,
backfile,
backfire,
backfist,
backfit,
backflap hinge,
backflash

Origin of backfill

First recorded in 1950–55; back² + fill

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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

Word Origin and History for backfill

backfill

1901 (as backfilling), from back (adj.) + fill (n.). The verb was in use by 1930.