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

That April, Arnold Schwarzenegger made headlines for taking matters into his own hands and filling what turned out to be a service trench for gas line repairs.

From Los Angeles Times

The company had no trouble filling open roles then, he says, and had about two dozen engravers 20 years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal

San Francisco will have to continue filling in the gaps if it hopes to upset Seattle, though there may not be a more irreplaceable player on the team than Kittle.

From The Wall Street Journal

While Good’s death is filling headlines, there have been dozens of other instances where immigration officers’ use of force has been questionable.

From Los Angeles Times

Within a couple of years, he was filling arenas and then stadiums and became one of the most popular working artists, not far from the Morgan Wallens and Bad Bunnys of the world.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• dressing
• layer
• mixture
• stuffing