Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to fill in the blank

to fill in the blank

14 2.6
To write the missing word in a sentence or exercise
  • phrasal verb
  • /fɪl ɪn ðə blæŋk/
translation icon : rellenar el espacio en blanco
  • Quizzes can be in multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blank, or short answer form.
  • ask students to fill in the blank

If Trump becomes president, I will fill in the blank, die.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Fill in the blanks in the sentences below with vocabulary words from the play 7th Heaven.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Students were asked to identify an animal to fill in the blank, and then we brainstormed what the music might sound like.

    Academic text (2015)

  • All I have to do is fill in the blank.

    The Killer Elite (1975)

  • And what we're gonna do is ask you to fill in the blank, OK?

    Private Parts (1997)

  • So, we just need you guys to fill in the blank in a sentence that we're gonna set up.

    22 Jump Street (2014)

  • Respondents were asked to "fill in the blank" with their answer.

    Academic text (2014)

  • Formulate what you envision the project to be and fill in the blanks.

    Blog text (23)

  • In the exercise, you need to fill in the blank with the correct answer.

  • During the quiz, the teacher asked us to fill in the blank for each question.

  • Make sure to fill in the blank on the form before submitting it.

Surface Forms

fill in the blank infinitive
filled in the blank past
filled in the blank past participle
filling in the blank present participle
fills in the blank third person singular

Morphology

fill + in + the + blank

The meaning 'to supply the missing word or information' is directly derivable from combining 'fill' (to supply/put into) with the preposition 'in' and 'blank' (a gap in text). This is a straightforward, compositional instructional phrase common in exercises and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would understand it.

Etymology

Fill in the blank comes from the simple classroom image of a sentence with an empty space you fill with a word on a test. That's why it means 'to supply the missing word or information'.