filling

American  

[fil-ing] / ˈfɪl ɪŋ /

noun

1. an act or instance of filling.

2. something that is put in to fill something else.

   They used sand as filling for the depression.

3. Dentistry. a substance such as cement, amalgam, gold, or the like, used to fill a cavity caused by decay in a tooth.

4. a food mixture that goes into something, as if to fill it.

   sandwich filling; pie filling.

5. Also called pick, weft, woof.  Textiles. yarn carried by the shuttle and interlacing at right angles with the warp in woven cloth.

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filling British  

/ ˈfɪlɪŋ /

noun

1. the substance or thing used to fill a space or container

   pie filling

2. dentistry

   1. any of various substances (metal, plastic, etc) for inserting into the prepared cavity of a tooth

   2. the cavity of a tooth so filled

3. textiles another term for weft

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adjective

1. (of food or a meal) substantial and satisfying

Other Word Forms

• self-filling adjective
• unfilling adjective

Etymology

Origin of filling

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; fill, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

"I feel like every time I fill it up, I probably filling up at least $10 more than what I used to pay," he told AFP.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Rich Gonzalez, the meet director for the Arcadia Invitational, remembers when LeBron James showed up at Pauley Pavilion in 2003 to play in a high school basketball tournament, filling the venue.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026

Scientists have discovered that the magma reservoir tied to the largest volcanic eruption of the Holocene is filling again.

From Science Daily • Mar. 29, 2026

The meals - simple but filling - include meat curries, flatbreads, kebabs, fruits and sweets, reflecting Lucknow's rich culinary tradition.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

Wasps droned in the window wells as people shuffled in, filling the pews.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• dressing
• layer
• mixture
• stuffing