filler
/ˈfɪlə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfɪlər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfi-lər/ (ame, mw)
filler — noun
- fillersingular
- fillersplural
1. a soft paste that hardens when dry, spread into small gaps in wood or plaster so
a soft paste that hardens when dry, spread into small gaps in wood or plaster so the surface becomes smooth before you paint or polish it
Omar pressed wood filler into the crack along the kitchen door frame.
collocation: wood filler
Before painting the bedroom, Diego smoothed filler over every nail hole in the plaster.
pattern: smooth/spread filler over [surface]
The decorator scraped off the old paint, then applied a thin layer of filler.
A small tub of wall filler costs less than a coffee at the hardware store.
Linh waited an hour for the filler to dry before sanding the doorway smooth.
文法句型
wood/wall filler
apply filler to [surface]
用法筆記
Often modified by the material it patches: wood filler, wall filler, plaster filler. Both countable (a tub of filler) and uncountable (apply filler) uses are common.
常見錯誤
2. a small sound or word like um, er, or you know that a speaker drops in while thi
a small sound or word like um, er, or you know that a speaker drops in while thinking what to say next, so the talk does not go silent
Owen's debate coach told him to cut out fillers like 'um' and 'you know'.
examples of the category: um, you know
Public-speaking trainers often record students to count how many fillers they use per minute.
collocation: count/use fillers
Vivek slowed his speech down and replaced his usual fillers with short, deliberate pauses.
In Japanese, words such as 'eto' and 'ano' work as fillers, similar to English 'um'.
Daichi noticed he was using 'like' as a nervous filler during the interview.
- hesitation word
more descriptive term used in linguistics textbooks
- verbal tic
negative; suggests an unconscious habit a speaker would rather lose
文法句型
a filler such as / like [word]
use [word] as a filler
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 3 (low-quality padding): a filler here is a single hesitation word inside one sentence; sense 3 refers to whole songs, scenes, or paragraphs added to bulk out a larger work.
常見錯誤
3. extra material put into a film, album, magazine, or speech only to make it longe
extra material put into a film, album, magazine, or speech only to make it longer, when nothing better is ready to use; usually thought of as weaker than the main content
Critics said half the new album was filler around three strong singles.
pattern: be filler around [the good parts]
Christopher fast-forwarded through the filler episodes to reach the main story arc.
collocation: filler episodes
The magazine printed two pages of celebrity gossip as filler at the back.
Half of Yasmin's twenty-minute speech felt like filler — she only had ten minutes of real material.
Iker complained that the documentary was mostly filler interviews with people who knew nothing.
- highlight
the strong, memorable parts that filler sits between
文法句型
filler in / on [a film, album, magazine]
be (just) filler
用法筆記
Usually carries a negative judgement — calling something 'filler' implies the creator could not, or did not, produce enough strong material. Common in entertainment reviews, especially of TV anime ('filler arc'), albums, and magazines.
常見錯誤
4. a soft gel that a doctor puts into the face with a needle to smooth out lines on
a soft gel that a doctor puts into the face with a needle to smooth out lines on the skin or make features such as lips look fuller
Ayana booked a clinic appointment to have fillers around her eyes.
pattern: have fillers around [body part]
Olivia decided against lip fillers after reading about the recovery time.
collocation: lip fillers
The clinic offered cheek fillers for half price during their summer promotion.
Hamza injected the filler in tiny amounts so the patient's face still looked natural.
Many actors get fillers before red-carpet events to look fresh on camera.
- dermal filler
more clinical, full term used on clinic websites and consent forms
文法句型
get / have fillers
inject fillers (into [body part])
用法筆記
Typically plural ('lip fillers', 'cheek fillers') when describing the treatment as a whole; singular when the doctor is dealing with one injection or one product.
常見錯誤
5. a cheaper ingredient, often a vegetable or starch, that a factory mixes into a m
a cheaper ingredient, often a vegetable or starch, that a factory mixes into a meat or other food product to bulk it up or to add fibre
Brooke read the sausage label and found that breadcrumbs were the main filler.
pattern: [X] is the main filler
Cheaper supermarket burgers tend to contain more soy and starch as fillers.
pattern: contain [X] as fillers
Pet-food brands sometimes use corn as a filler to lower the cost per bag.
Heather avoids any dog food that lists wheat as the first filler ingredient.
Saira chose grass-fed beef patties because they had no fillers at all.
- bulking agent
more technical; used on ingredient labels and in food-industry writing
- extender
industry term for a cheap ingredient that stretches a more expensive one
文法句型
use [X] as a filler in [food]
contain fillers
用法筆記
Usually plural when discussing the category in food labels and reviews ('contain fillers'); singular with a specific ingredient ('soy as a filler'). Often carries a mildly negative tone — fillers are seen as a sign of a cheaper or lower-quality product.
常見錯誤
6. a short article, cartoon, song, or moment of talk that an editor or producer dro
a short article, cartoon, song, or moment of talk that an editor or producer drops into a newspaper, magazine, or broadcast just to take up the empty space or time left over
The sub-editor kept a folder of short jokes to use as fillers when a page ran short.
pattern: use [X] as fillers
Local radio stations play soft music as a filler between the news and the weather.
pattern: as a filler between [X] and [Y]
Élise wrote a quick poem that the magazine printed as a filler at the bottom of page eight.
When the speaker arrived late, the host told a few stories as filler.
The newspaper ran a small cartoon as a filler beside the obituary column.
- stop-gap
broader; covers anything used temporarily to bridge a gap, not just publishing items
- space-filler
near-synonym specifically for printed pages
- feature
the planned, important article or segment that fillers sit around
文法句型
a filler at the back / end of [a paper, broadcast]
use [X] as filler
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 3: sense 6 is neutral, used inside the publishing or broadcasting industry to mean 'something to fill a slot today'; sense 3 is a value judgement that the content is weak. Same word, different attitude.