refill
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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refills,
present (3rd person singular)
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refilled,
past participle, past
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refilling
present participle
noun
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refills
plural
verb
noun
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a replacement for a consumable substance in a permanent container
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a second or subsequent filling
a refill at the petrol station
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informal another drink to replace one already drunk
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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refillsimple
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refillssimple
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have refilledperfect
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has refilledperfect
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am refillingprogressive
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are refillingprogressive
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is refillingprogressive
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have been refillingperfect progressive
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has been refillingperfect progressive
Past
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refilledsimple
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had refilledperfect
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was refillingprogressive
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were refillingprogressive
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had been refillingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of refill
Explanation
To refill is to fill something again, the way you refill your motorcycle's gas tank or refill your cat's water bowl when you notice it's almost empty. You can also refill a prescription, by going to the pharmacy and getting another month's worth of medication. The bottle of pills itself can also be called a refill. People commonly use this word as a noun for the act of filling up, too: "Hey, grab that waiter and ask for a refill on the Cokes!"
Vocabulary lists containing refill
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
After rinsing the pipe, workers will refill it with clean water, refill the hole and repave the street.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
Even as flows from the Middle East return with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the need to refill inventories is expected to support demand in months ahead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
Temperatures are expected to reach 28C in Westminster on the day, with Pride in London encouraging attendees to bring a reusable water bottle and use the free water refill stations at the event's stages.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
“And then I worry about liability. Who is actually liable for problems that may occur because of a refill of a medication?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
After dark I would pour it out and refill the bottles at the brook.
From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien
When its competitors often price hand-soap refills at $10.99 or $11.99, Clean Cult—which packages its cleaners in milk-carton-like containers to avoid using plastic—has intentionally kept some of its products at $7.99.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The team defined discontinuation as a gap of more than 60 days between prescription refills.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 16, 2026
Since restaurants generally don’t allow you to take bottomless refills home, McGrath suggests filling up on the apps while you’re at the table.
From MarketWatch ● May 14, 2026
Providing about a third of the state’s water supply, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is a vital source of spring and summer runoff that refills reservoirs when the state needs the water most.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2026
He’s a real pro, the kind of waiter who refills your water glass when it’s half empty, without you noticing he’s doing it.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
Under the legislation, shops and online retailers are not permitted to sell the devices without a rechargeable battery, replaceable coil and capacity to be refilled.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
The equipment enables the A400M to carry more than 5,000 gallons of water, all of which can be released in a single gravity-drop maneuver and refilled in about 10 minutes back on the ground.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Workers have refilled the pipe with water and are now working to repressurize it, officials said Sunday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
But not long after the job was complete, the paint began to visibly peel, and the gleaming waters promptly refilled with green pond scum.
From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026
No sooner had he passed the bucket off to him and refilled the empty one dropped at his feet than another one was coming, and then another.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
"We fear today," said Jeremy Presi, a local business owner volunteering to help firefighters at a water refilling station.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Energy Secretary Chris Wright has put the cost of refilling it at roughly $20 billion over several years.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
With the replacement pipe in place, workers transitioned to slowly refilling the pipe to restore pressure, disinfecting the water line with chlorine and checking for any leaks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
The cost of that fluctuates more directly in response to the oil price, so the latest global uncertainty has pushed up bills for those households refilling their tanks.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
At the end of the night, I start refilling the salt and pepper shakers.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
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.
