(tr) to complete (a form, application, etc)
to make or become completely full
First recorded in 1850–55; noun use of verb phrase fill up
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Brands like BP and Exxon offer discounts such as 10 cents off a gallon on your first fill-up and up to 5 cents off each gallon after that.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 24, 2026
Most of the gasoline was added recently, but the tank never runs completely dry and so a few molecules from the very first fill-up remain.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 1, 2023
There are now 59 stations, clustered in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, with an essential fill-up spot at Harris Ranch on Interstate 5 to make a trip between the two possible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2023
If the gas savings were fully passed along to consumers, people would save just under $3 for a 15-gallon fill-up of gas.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 23, 2022
Fasters and cleansers should make at least three attempts at a complete fill-up each time they do an enema session.
From How and When to Be Your Own Doctor by Solomon, Steve
"You are wasting hours to fill up," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
On her drive back, Starling plans to fill up the back of her car with coolers, and “I’ll get like three frozen Key lime pies to bring with me home.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
In a hilly village northwest of Budapest, siblings Andras and Blanka Arki have brought a bag of plastic containers and bottles to fill up at a roadside water cart in scorching 41C heat.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
People will be able to spend more on other wants and needs since it won’t cost as much to fill up their gas tanks.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
“I don’t suppose you could fill up two dump trucks full of sand?”
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
