What does filled mean?
'Filled' is the past tense and past participle of the everyday verb 'fill', meaning to make something full, occupy a space, or supply what is needed. It covers a remarkable range of situations: a container can be filled with liquid, a hall can be filled with people, a job vacancy can be filled by a candidate, a pharmacist fills prescriptions, and time can be filled with activity. As an adjective, it describes things that are crammed or stuffed, from filled pastries to filled seats. The word is completely neutral in register and among the most widely used verbs in English. Its figurative senses carry warm connotations — being 'filled with joy' or 'filled with pride' suggests abundance and completeness. Tracing back to Old English 'fyllan', related to 'full', the word has remained remarkably stable in form and meaning for over a thousand years, making it a dependable cornerstone of everyday vocabulary.
Past tense and past participle of 'fill': to have made something full, occupied a space or role, or supplied a need such as an order or prescription.
"The volunteers filled every box with canned goods."
Common phrasal uses include 'filled in' (substituted for someone, or completed a form in British English) and 'filled out' (completed a form, chiefly in American English).
Containing as much as possible; stuffed or crammed.
"She handed me a bag filled with fresh bread."
Often used attributively before nouns in food and product contexts, e.g. 'filled chocolates', 'a filled order'.
'Fill' traces back to the same ancient root as English 'full' — so every time you say something is filled, you are literally saying it has been made 'full'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of filled
'Filled' derives from the Old English verb 'fyllan', formed from the adjective 'full' using a causative suffix, so its original sense was literally 'to make full'. This makes 'fill' one of a small family of common English verbs built directly on adjectives. The root belongs to the Germanic branch of Indo-European, and it is ultimately connected to the same ancient base that produced Latin 'plenus' ('full'), source of English words like 'plenty' and 'plenary'. Cognates appear across the Germanic languages, including German 'füllen' and Dutch 'vullen'.
Related word forms
How filled is actually used
'Filled' is neutral in register and appears across formal and informal contexts alike. In British English, 'filled in' commonly means completed a form, while American English prefers 'filled out'; both regions use 'filled in' for temporarily substituting for someone. As an adjective, 'filled' is often used attributively in food and product descriptions (e.g. 'filled chocolates').
Easily confused with filled
'Feels' is a verb meaning to perceive by touch or experience an emotion, whereas 'filled' means having made something full.
'Fielded' is the past tense of 'field', meaning to catch or deal with something, while 'filled' relates to making full; they share a similar ending but entirely different roots.