fillings

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   The soft or hard material a dentist puts into a hole in a tooth to repair it.

   Grammar: Always used in the plural when talking about teeth in general; a single one is 'a filling'.

   Patterns

   • have fillings
   • need a filling
   • fillings in a tooth

   The dentist said I have two fillings that need replacing.

   She has silver fillings in her back teeth.

   I got a filling last year and it still feels fine.

2. 2nounplural

   The food mixture inside a pie, sandwich, cake, or similar item.

   Grammar: Countable; use the singular 'filling' for one kind of mixture, e.g. 'a chicken filling'.

   Patterns

   • pie fillings
   • sandwich fillings
   • sweet fillings

   The bakery sells pies with different fillings, like apple and cherry.

   We tried three sandwich fillings: cheese, tuna, and egg.

   Chocolate and cream are the most popular cake fillings here.

3. 3nounpluraltechnical

   Extra material used to make something thicker, fuller, or level.

   Grammar: Usually plural in this technical sense; 'filling' alone can mean the act or the material.

   Patterns

   • cushion fillings
   • insulation fillings

   These cushions use natural fillings such as feathers and wool.

   The mattress has foam fillings that keep their shape.

Word forms

Common combinations

have a filling

I had a filling put in yesterday.

need a filling

You need a filling in that tooth.

pie filling

The pie filling was thick and sweet.

sandwich filling

What sandwich filling do you want?

dental filling

Dental fillings can be made of metal or plastic.

Synonyms and how they differ

inlay

An inlay is a shaped piece fitted into a tooth, usually larger and made in a lab, while a filling is packed in directly.

stuffing

Stuffing is the food mixture inside poultry or vegetables; fillings go inside pies, cakes, or sandwiches.

padding

Padding is soft material for protection or shape, often in clothing or furniture, not the usual word for food or teeth.

Word family

fill verb

To make something full or to put material into a hole.

filler noun

A substance used to fill gaps or cracks, or something added just to take up space.

filled adjective

Made full, or containing a filling, as in 'a filled tooth'.

Commonly confused: fillings or feeling?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “fillings”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words