"fill in the blank" meaning in English

See fill in the blank in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: fill in the blanks [plural]
Etymology: As a noun, a clipping of fill-in-the-blank question, problem, &c. Head templates: {{en-noun}} fill in the blank (plural fill in the blanks)
  1. A language exercise in which one or more words are replaced with a blank line and the reader is tasked with supplying a valid replacement. Synonyms: gap fill [UK] [exercise, sports, hobbies, lifestyle, language, linguistics, human-sciences, sciences] Hyponyms: cloze [exercise, sports, hobbies, lifestyle, language, linguistics, human-sciences, sciences] Translations (Translations): täydennys- (Finnish), Lücken- [attributive] (German), 빈칸채우기 (binkanchae'ugi) (Korean)
    Sense id: en-fill_in_the_blank-en-noun-wRZzVIVt Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 71 23 3 3 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 70 22 5 4 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 65 24 7 3 Disambiguation of 'Translations': 79 21
  2. (idiomatic, figuratively) A placeholder allowing for any of a variety of possible answers or a single elicited answer. Tags: figuratively, idiomatic
    Sense id: en-fill_in_the_blank-en-noun-EZyTJI~I

Verb

Forms: fills in the blank [present, singular, third-person], filling in the blank [participle, present], filled in the blank [participle, past], filled in the blank [past]
Etymology: As a noun, a clipping of fill-in-the-blank question, problem, &c. Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} fill in the blank (third-person singular simple present fills in the blank, present participle filling in the blank, simple past and past participle filled in the blank)
  1. To complete a single fill in the blank question. Synonyms: fill in the blanks, gapfill [UK]
    Sense id: en-fill_in_the_blank-en-verb-fXh3SKr1
  2. (idiomatic, figuratively) To complete an interruption, ambiguity, or vagueness in understanding, perception, or context. Tags: figuratively, idiomatic
    Sense id: en-fill_in_the_blank-en-verb-QKwlBOVr

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for fill in the blank meaning in English (5.3kB)

{
  "etymology_text": "As a noun, a clipping of fill-in-the-blank question, problem, &c.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fill in the blanks",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "fill in the blank (plural fill in the blanks)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "71 23 3 3",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "70 22 5 4",
          "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"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "65 24 7 3",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The test consisted of fill-in-the-blank sentences."
        },
        {
          "ref": "2009, Randy Huddleston, Getting to Know God, page 43",
          "text": "The emphasis on doing the Bible study portion. This is not a fill in the blank with a simple answer from the Bible that “says” what we are looking for.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A language exercise in which one or more words are replaced with a blank line and the reader is tasked with supplying a valid replacement."
      ],
      "hyponyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "81 19",
          "topics": [
            "exercise",
            "sports",
            "hobbies",
            "lifestyle",
            "language",
            "linguistics",
            "human-sciences",
            "sciences"
          ],
          "word": "cloze"
        }
      ],
      "id": "en-fill_in_the_blank-en-noun-wRZzVIVt",
      "links": [
        [
          "language",
          "language"
        ],
        [
          "exercise",
          "exercise"
        ],
        [
          "one",
          "one"
        ],
        [
          "more",
          "more"
        ],
        [
          "word",
          "word"
        ],
        [
          "replace",
          "replace"
        ],
        [
          "blank",
          "blank"
        ],
        [
          "line",
          "line"
        ],
        [
          "reader",
          "reader"
        ],
        [
          "task",
          "task"
        ],
        [
          "supply",
          "supply"
        ],
        [
          "valid",
          "valid"
        ],
        [
          "replacement",
          "replacement"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "77 23",
          "tags": [
            "UK"
          ],
          "topics": [
            "exercise",
            "sports",
            "hobbies",
            "lifestyle",
            "language",
            "linguistics",
            "human-sciences",
            "sciences"
          ],
          "word": "gap fill"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "79 21",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "täydennys-"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "79 21",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "attributive"
          ],
          "word": "Lücken-"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "79 21",
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "binkanchae'ugi",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "빈칸채우기"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2011, Debra Ginsberg, The Neighbors Are Watching: A Novel, page 55",
          "text": "It was important that she make something memorable. She wanted to be complimented. She wanted people to go home after the party and say, “Wasn't Dorothy's — fill in the blank — amazing?\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A placeholder allowing for any of a variety of possible answers or a single elicited answer."
      ],
      "id": "en-fill_in_the_blank-en-noun-EZyTJI~I",
      "links": [
        [
          "placeholder",
          "placeholder#English"
        ],
        [
          "allow",
          "allow#English"
        ],
        [
          "any",
          "any#English"
        ],
        [
          "variety",
          "variety#English"
        ],
        [
          "possible",
          "possible#English"
        ],
        [
          "answer",
          "answer#English"
        ],
        [
          "single",
          "single#English"
        ],
        [
          "elicit",
          "elicit#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, figuratively) A placeholder allowing for any of a variety of possible answers or a single elicited answer."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "fill in the blank"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "As a noun, a clipping of fill-in-the-blank question, problem, &c.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fills in the blank",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "filling in the blank",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "filled in the blank",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "filled in the blank",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "fill in the blank (third-person singular simple present fills in the blank, present participle filling in the blank, simple past and past participle filled in the blank)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "To complete a single fill in the blank question."
      ],
      "id": "en-fill_in_the_blank-en-verb-fXh3SKr1",
      "links": [
        [
          "complete",
          "complete"
        ],
        [
          "single",
          "single"
        ],
        [
          "fill in the blank",
          "#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "question",
          "question"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "19 4 72 5",
          "word": "fill in the blanks"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "tags": [
            "UK"
          ],
          "word": "gapfill"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2010, George Friedman, Flotillas and the Wars of Public Opinion",
          "text": "The Zionists intended to shape the perceptions of a global public with limited interest in or understanding of the issues, filling in the blanks with their own narrative.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To complete an interruption, ambiguity, or vagueness in understanding, perception, or context."
      ],
      "id": "en-fill_in_the_blank-en-verb-QKwlBOVr",
      "links": [
        [
          "complete",
          "complete"
        ],
        [
          "interruption",
          "interruption"
        ],
        [
          "ambiguity",
          "ambiguity"
        ],
        [
          "vagueness",
          "vagueness"
        ],
        [
          "understanding",
          "understanding"
        ],
        [
          "perception",
          "perception"
        ],
        [
          "context",
          "context"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, figuratively) To complete an interruption, ambiguity, or vagueness in understanding, perception, or context."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "fill in the blank"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English clippings",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "English verbs",
    "Translation table header lacks gloss"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "As a noun, a clipping of fill-in-the-blank question, problem, &c.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fill in the blanks",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "fill in the blank (plural fill in the blanks)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "hyponyms": [
    {
      "topics": [
        "exercise",
        "sports",
        "hobbies",
        "lifestyle",
        "language",
        "linguistics",
        "human-sciences",
        "sciences"
      ],
      "word": "cloze"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The test consisted of fill-in-the-blank sentences."
        },
        {
          "ref": "2009, Randy Huddleston, Getting to Know God, page 43",
          "text": "The emphasis on doing the Bible study portion. This is not a fill in the blank with a simple answer from the Bible that “says” what we are looking for.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A language exercise in which one or more words are replaced with a blank line and the reader is tasked with supplying a valid replacement."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "language",
          "language"
        ],
        [
          "exercise",
          "exercise"
        ],
        [
          "one",
          "one"
        ],
        [
          "more",
          "more"
        ],
        [
          "word",
          "word"
        ],
        [
          "replace",
          "replace"
        ],
        [
          "blank",
          "blank"
        ],
        [
          "line",
          "line"
        ],
        [
          "reader",
          "reader"
        ],
        [
          "task",
          "task"
        ],
        [
          "supply",
          "supply"
        ],
        [
          "valid",
          "valid"
        ],
        [
          "replacement",
          "replacement"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2011, Debra Ginsberg, The Neighbors Are Watching: A Novel, page 55",
          "text": "It was important that she make something memorable. She wanted to be complimented. She wanted people to go home after the party and say, “Wasn't Dorothy's — fill in the blank — amazing?\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A placeholder allowing for any of a variety of possible answers or a single elicited answer."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "placeholder",
          "placeholder#English"
        ],
        [
          "allow",
          "allow#English"
        ],
        [
          "any",
          "any#English"
        ],
        [
          "variety",
          "variety#English"
        ],
        [
          "possible",
          "possible#English"
        ],
        [
          "answer",
          "answer#English"
        ],
        [
          "single",
          "single#English"
        ],
        [
          "elicit",
          "elicit#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, figuratively) A placeholder allowing for any of a variety of possible answers or a single elicited answer."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "exercise",
        "sports",
        "hobbies",
        "lifestyle",
        "language",
        "linguistics",
        "human-sciences",
        "sciences"
      ],
      "word": "gap fill"
    },
    {
      "word": "fill in the blanks"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "täydennys-"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "attributive"
      ],
      "word": "Lücken-"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "binkanchae'ugi",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "빈칸채우기"
    }
  ],
  "word": "fill in the blank"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English clippings",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "English verbs",
    "Translation table header lacks gloss"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "As a noun, a clipping of fill-in-the-blank question, problem, &c.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fills in the blank",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "filling in the blank",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "filled in the blank",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "filled in the blank",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "fill in the blank (third-person singular simple present fills in the blank, present participle filling in the blank, simple past and past participle filled in the blank)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "To complete a single fill in the blank question."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "complete",
          "complete"
        ],
        [
          "single",
          "single"
        ],
        [
          "fill in the blank",
          "#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "question",
          "question"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2010, George Friedman, Flotillas and the Wars of Public Opinion",
          "text": "The Zionists intended to shape the perceptions of a global public with limited interest in or understanding of the issues, filling in the blanks with their own narrative.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To complete an interruption, ambiguity, or vagueness in understanding, perception, or context."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "complete",
          "complete"
        ],
        [
          "interruption",
          "interruption"
        ],
        [
          "ambiguity",
          "ambiguity"
        ],
        [
          "vagueness",
          "vagueness"
        ],
        [
          "understanding",
          "understanding"
        ],
        [
          "perception",
          "perception"
        ],
        [
          "context",
          "context"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, figuratively) To complete an interruption, ambiguity, or vagueness in understanding, perception, or context."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ],
      "word": "gapfill"
    },
    {
      "word": "fill in the blanks"
    }
  ],
  "word": "fill in the blank"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-26 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (93a6c53 and 21a9316). 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.