filler
filler — noun
- fillersingular
- fillersplural
1. a soft or paste-like substance that you put into small holes, cracks, or gaps in
a soft or paste-like substance that you put into small holes, cracks, or gaps in a surface such as wood or plaster to make it smooth before painting or covering it.
Eve spread the filler evenly over the cracks in the kitchen wall.
filler + location: spread filler over cracks
Ishaan used wood filler to repair the deep scratches on the old dining table.
used as object: used wood filler to repair
Before painting, the decorator applied filler to every nail hole in the skirting board.
Mira bought a small tub of wall filler to fix the cracks around her bedroom window before painting.
文法句型
filler + noun (filler material)
用法筆記
Often used in compound nouns (wood filler, wall filler, crack filler) that name the specific surface or purpose.
常見錯誤
2. a short piece of writing, a drawing, music, or conversation that is used only to
a short piece of writing, a drawing, music, or conversation that is used only to occupy empty space in a newspaper, magazine, or broadcast when nothing more important is available.
The editor placed a short filler article at the bottom of the magazine page after the main feature was cancelled.
adjective use: filler article
Hoa filled the remaining airtime with filler music while the technician replaced the broken camera.
uncountable: filler music
The newspaper placed a small cartoon as filler in the sports section corner.
When the live interview ended early, the radio host used a filler segment about weekend weather.
- padding
more negative; implies unnecessary or low-quality added material
- space-filler
more explicit; used mainly in print media
文法句型
filler + noun (filler article, filler music)
用法筆記
Common in journalism and broadcasting contexts. May be countable (a filler, several fillers) or uncountable (just filler). The adjective form (filler article, filler music) is very frequent.
常見錯誤
3. parts of a film, TV show, album, speech, or other creative work that are noticea
parts of a film, TV show, album, speech, or other creative work that are noticeably weaker or less important and seem to exist only to make the whole thing long enough.
Critics at the Toronto film festival said the middle half of the drama was pure filler with no plot development.
uncountable: pure filler
Ignacio skipped the filler songs on the album and only listened to the four singles.
adjective: filler songs
At the tech conference, the keynote speaker told filler stories that had nothing to do with the announced topic.
Cyrus felt the final chapter of the novel was obvious filler added to reach three hundred pages.
- highlight
the best or most important part of a creative work
文法句型
be filler
filler + noun (filler scene, filler episode)
用法筆記
Strongly negative — unlike sense 2 (neutral space-filler), this sense criticises the content as weak or unnecessary. Very common in entertainment reviews and informal discussion.
常見錯誤
4. a gel-like substance that a doctor puts into the skin, usually on the face, to m
a gel-like substance that a doctor puts into the skin, usually on the face, to make wrinkles less visible or to reshape features such as the lips or cheeks.
Mei visited the clinic to get filler injected into her cheeks for a fuller look.
get filler injected — typical patient experience
Eliska asked the dermatologist whether filler would soften the lines around her eyes.
Ayana decided against lip filler after reading about the possible side effects.
The effects of the wrinkle filler in Saira's cheeks lasted about eight months before she went for a top-up.
- dermal filler
more clinical or medical; preferred by dermatologists
- injectable
broader term that includes Botox and other injected treatments
文法句型
get/have filler
filler + noun (filler treatment)
用法筆記
Often appears in compounds (lip filler, cheek filler, dermal filler). The uncountable form (have filler done) is colloquial. Avoid confusing with sense 1 (construction filler) — the substance and context are completely different.
常見錯誤
5. a cheap ingredient that manufacturers put into processed foods to add bulk, volu
a cheap ingredient that manufacturers put into processed foods to add bulk, volume, or fibre, often lowering the overall nutritional value.
Sivan checked the ingredient list for fillers such as cornstarch or soy protein.
plural count noun: fillers such as
Some meat brands add breadcrumbs as filler to make the sausages seem bigger.
Ritu avoids processed chicken nuggets that contain more filler than actual meat.
Manufacturers sometimes use oat fibre as a filler to boost the cereal's fibre content.
- bulking agent
more neutral and technical; used in ingredient lists
- extender
specifically for meat products padded with cheaper material
文法句型
filler + noun (filler ingredient)
contain/have filler
用法筆記
Often carries a negative connotation — consumers and health writers imply that too much filler means lower quality. Also used in pet food labelling.
常見錯誤
6. a short word or sound such as "uh," "um," or "like" that a speaker inserts while
a short word or sound such as "uh," "um," or "like" that a speaker inserts while pausing to decide what to say, carrying no real meaning.
Eliska tends to use the filler "like" three or four times in every sentence.
countable: use the filler 'like'
Ms. Anjali told her debating team to reduce filler words such as "um" and "uh" during their practice rounds.
common compound: filler words
Brooke noticed that she said "you know" as a filler whenever she felt nervous during interviews.
Kenji practised his sales pitch until the filler phrases were gone, which made him sound far more professional.
- hesitation marker
more technical; used in linguistics
- discourse marker
broader category; includes words like "well" and "actually" that serve other functions too
文法句型
filler word
filler phrase
use a filler
用法筆記
Almost always used in the plural (filler words, fillers) or with a specific quoted example (the filler 'you know'). The singular a filler is possible but less common. This sense has no connection to the other five senses.