backfill

[ bak-fil ]

noun
  1. material used for refilling an excavation.

verb (used with object)
  1. to refill (an excavation).

  2. to make up for a loss or shortfall of supplies or funds: It is illegal to backfill the state budget with federal emergency funds.

  1. to fill (a recently vacated position), often with an internal candidate or temp.

Origin of backfill

1
First recorded in 1950–55; back2 + fill

Words Nearby backfill

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use backfill in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for backfill

backfill

/ (ˈbækˌfɪl) /


verb
  1. (tr) to refill an excavated trench, esp (in archaeology) at the end of an investigation

noun
  1. the soil used to do this

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