stuffed to the gills

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phraseinformal

   Having eaten so much that you feel completely full.

   Grammar: Comes after be, feel, or get: I'm stuffed to the gills.

   Patterns

   • be stuffed to the gills
   • feel stuffed to the gills
   • get stuffed to the gills

   After three helpings of pie, I was stuffed to the gills.

   The kids were stuffed to the gills after the birthday party.

   Don't give me any more cake — I'm stuffed to the gills.

2. 2phrasefixed phraseinformalfigurative

   Completely filled with something, often to an excessive degree.

   Grammar: Usually used after be, with with before the thing that fills something: The room was stuffed to the gills with boxes.

   Patterns

   • be stuffed to the gills with something

   The old closet was stuffed to the gills with winter coats.

   His desk drawers are stuffed to the gills with papers he never reads.

Common combinations

be stuffed to the gills

By the end of the meal we were all stuffed to the gills.

feel stuffed to the gills

I felt stuffed to the gills after the holiday dinner.

stuffed to the gills with food

The buffet left everyone stuffed to the gills with food.

get stuffed to the gills

Don't get stuffed to the gills before the main course arrives.

Synonyms and how they differ

full

Neutral and more general; it simply means you have had enough to eat, while 'stuffed to the gills' sounds exaggerated and informal.

stuffed

Shorter and slightly less emphatic; it can also mean a food with a filling, so it is less clear in some contexts.

Opposites

Commonly confused: stuffed to the gills or stuffed?

Practice

Make it your own

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

Explore more words