fill in — substitute for someone
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutralcommon
to do someone else's job or take their place for a short time.
Say it like a native
Textbook I shall temporarily assume her responsibilities during her absence.
Native I'm filling in for her while she's off.
'Fill in for' is the natural workplace phrase for covering; the formal version reads like a contract.
Pattern: fill in (for [someone])
In use
- Sarah is sick today, so I'm going to fill in for her at the meeting.work
- Last year, I had to fill in for my manager when she was on holiday, which was a great learning experience.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Can you fill in me on Friday?
✓ Can you fill in for me on Friday?
To cover someone, use 'fill in FOR them'. (Bare 'fill someone in' means update them with news.)
Common collocations
fill in for + person— for a colleague, for the teacher, at short notice, today
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'stand in', which is more formal and less common in daily speech.
Related
- fill in (complete a form) — Another meaning of 'fill in' is 'complete a form'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.