"backfill" meaning in All languages combined

See backfill on Wiktionary

Noun [English]

Forms: backfills [plural]
Etymology: From back + fill. Etymology templates: {{af|en|back|fill}} back + fill Head templates: {{en-noun|~}} backfill (countable and uncountable, plural backfills)
  1. The material that has been used to refill an excavation. Tags: countable, uncountable
    Sense id: en-backfill-en-noun-c77QEdxc
  2. (US) Reserve support personnel. Tags: US, countable, uncountable
    Sense id: en-backfill-en-noun-5eGjuFnl Categories (other): American English
  3. (US) That which backfills; a replacement. Tags: US, countable, uncountable
    Sense id: en-backfill-en-noun-MSyBynFU Categories (other): American English
  4. (literature) Material in a story set earlier in the past, providing history or context for the current action. Tags: countable, uncountable Categories (topical): Literature
    Sense id: en-backfill-en-noun-HxE9L57P Topics: literature, media, publishing
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: back-fill Derived forms: backfill bias

Verb [English]

Forms: backfills [present, singular, third-person], backfilling [participle, present], backfilled [participle, past], backfilled [past]
Etymology: From back + fill. Etymology templates: {{af|en|back|fill}} back + fill Head templates: {{en-verb}} backfill (third-person singular simple present backfills, present participle backfilling, simple past and past participle backfilled)
  1. To refill a hole with the material dug out of it.
    Sense id: en-backfill-en-verb-MSlzqm46
  2. (archaeology) To refill an excavation unit to restore the former ground surface and/or to preserve the unit and make it recognizable as having been excavated. Categories (topical): Archaeology
    Sense id: en-backfill-en-verb-3dvm9hBq Topics: archaeology, history, human-sciences, sciences
  3. (US) To provide reserve support. Tags: US
    Sense id: en-backfill-en-verb-3IpL2kKU Categories (other): American English
  4. (US) To replenish or restock due to attrition or loss. Tags: US
    Sense id: en-backfill-en-verb-oOGI-ZbI Categories (other): American English
  5. (gaming) To enter an online game that's already in progress, replacing a player who left early. Categories (topical): Gaming
    Sense id: en-backfill-en-verb--OSMC6QC Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 17 5 5 2 15 20 5 4 27 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 15 8 7 3 14 17 6 6 24 Topics: games, gaming
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: back-fill

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for backfill meaning in All languages combined (5.8kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "back",
        "3": "fill"
      },
      "expansion": "back + fill",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From back + fill.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "backfills",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "backfilling",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "backfilled",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "backfilled",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "backfill (third-person singular simple present backfills, present participle backfilling, simple past and past participle backfilled)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2020 April 8, Paul Stephen, “ECML dive-under drives divergence”, in Rail, page 43",
          "text": "Clay excavated for the new river channel has been used to backfill the old watercourse, while embankment vegetation was also moved from the old channel to the new in order to preserve a habitat for the rare Four Spotted Moths that live there.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To refill a hole with the material dug out of it."
      ],
      "id": "en-backfill-en-verb-MSlzqm46",
      "links": [
        [
          "refill",
          "refill"
        ],
        [
          "hole",
          "hole"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Archaeology",
          "orig": "en:Archaeology",
          "parents": [
            "Anthropology",
            "Sciences",
            "Social sciences",
            "Zoology",
            "All topics",
            "Society",
            "Biology",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "We backfilled the cistern with pea gravel to discourage its use as a refuse container."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To refill an excavation unit to restore the former ground surface and/or to preserve the unit and make it recognizable as having been excavated."
      ],
      "id": "en-backfill-en-verb-3dvm9hBq",
      "links": [
        [
          "archaeology",
          "archaeology"
        ],
        [
          "excavation unit",
          "excavation unit"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaeology) To refill an excavation unit to restore the former ground surface and/or to preserve the unit and make it recognizable as having been excavated."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "archaeology",
        "history",
        "human-sciences",
        "sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To provide reserve support."
      ],
      "id": "en-backfill-en-verb-3IpL2kKU",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US) To provide reserve support."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The company backfilled Joe's position after he was terminated."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To replenish or restock due to attrition or loss."
      ],
      "id": "en-backfill-en-verb-oOGI-ZbI",
      "links": [
        [
          "replenish",
          "replenish"
        ],
        [
          "restock",
          "restock"
        ],
        [
          "attrition",
          "attrition"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US) To replenish or restock due to attrition or loss."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Gaming",
          "orig": "en:Gaming",
          "parents": [
            "Games",
            "Recreation",
            "Human activity",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "17 5 5 2 15 20 5 4 27",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "15 8 7 3 14 17 6 6 24",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To enter an online game that's already in progress, replacing a player who left early."
      ],
      "id": "en-backfill-en-verb--OSMC6QC",
      "links": [
        [
          "gaming",
          "gaming#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(gaming) To enter an online game that's already in progress, replacing a player who left early."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "games",
        "gaming"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "back-fill"
    }
  ],
  "word": "backfill"
}

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0",
      "word": "backfill bias"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "back",
        "3": "fill"
      },
      "expansion": "back + fill",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From back + fill.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "backfills",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "backfill (countable and uncountable, plural backfills)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "The material that has been used to refill an excavation."
      ],
      "id": "en-backfill-en-noun-c77QEdxc",
      "links": [
        [
          "excavation",
          "excavation"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Reserve support personnel."
      ],
      "id": "en-backfill-en-noun-5eGjuFnl",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US) Reserve support personnel."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "That which backfills; a replacement."
      ],
      "id": "en-backfill-en-noun-MSyBynFU",
      "links": [
        [
          "replacement",
          "replacement"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US) That which backfills; a replacement."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Literature",
          "orig": "en:Literature",
          "parents": [
            "Culture",
            "Entertainment",
            "Writing",
            "Society",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Language",
            "All topics",
            "Human",
            "Communication",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Material in a story set earlier in the past, providing history or context for the current action."
      ],
      "id": "en-backfill-en-noun-HxE9L57P",
      "links": [
        [
          "literature",
          "literature"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(literature) Material in a story set earlier in the past, providing history or context for the current action."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "literature",
        "media",
        "publishing"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "back-fill"
    }
  ],
  "word": "backfill"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English compound terms",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English phrasal nouns",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "back",
        "3": "fill"
      },
      "expansion": "back + fill",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From back + fill.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "backfills",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "backfilling",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "backfilled",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "backfilled",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "backfill (third-person singular simple present backfills, present participle backfilling, simple past and past participle backfilled)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2020 April 8, Paul Stephen, “ECML dive-under drives divergence”, in Rail, page 43",
          "text": "Clay excavated for the new river channel has been used to backfill the old watercourse, while embankment vegetation was also moved from the old channel to the new in order to preserve a habitat for the rare Four Spotted Moths that live there.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To refill a hole with the material dug out of it."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "refill",
          "refill"
        ],
        [
          "hole",
          "hole"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Archaeology"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "We backfilled the cistern with pea gravel to discourage its use as a refuse container."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To refill an excavation unit to restore the former ground surface and/or to preserve the unit and make it recognizable as having been excavated."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "archaeology",
          "archaeology"
        ],
        [
          "excavation unit",
          "excavation unit"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaeology) To refill an excavation unit to restore the former ground surface and/or to preserve the unit and make it recognizable as having been excavated."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "archaeology",
        "history",
        "human-sciences",
        "sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To provide reserve support."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US) To provide reserve support."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The company backfilled Joe's position after he was terminated."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To replenish or restock due to attrition or loss."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "replenish",
          "replenish"
        ],
        [
          "restock",
          "restock"
        ],
        [
          "attrition",
          "attrition"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US) To replenish or restock due to attrition or loss."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Gaming"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To enter an online game that's already in progress, replacing a player who left early."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "gaming",
          "gaming#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(gaming) To enter an online game that's already in progress, replacing a player who left early."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "games",
        "gaming"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "back-fill"
    }
  ],
  "word": "backfill"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English compound terms",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English phrasal nouns",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "backfill bias"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "back",
        "3": "fill"
      },
      "expansion": "back + fill",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From back + fill.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "backfills",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "backfill (countable and uncountable, plural backfills)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "The material that has been used to refill an excavation."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "excavation",
          "excavation"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Reserve support personnel."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US) Reserve support personnel."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "That which backfills; a replacement."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "replacement",
          "replacement"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US) That which backfills; a replacement."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Literature"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Material in a story set earlier in the past, providing history or context for the current action."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "literature",
          "literature"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(literature) Material in a story set earlier in the past, providing history or context for the current action."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "literature",
        "media",
        "publishing"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "back-fill"
    }
  ],
  "word": "backfill"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.