# fill in the blank

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/fill-in-the-blank
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A placeholder allowing for any of a variety of possible answers or a single elicited answer.

## Examples

- Please fill in the blank with your name.
- You need to fill in the blank on this medical form.
- I fill in the blank with my favorite color.
- The teacher handed out a worksheet and asked the students to fill in the blank for each vocabulary question.
- The interviewer paused and looked at me, waiting for me to fill in the blank regarding my expected salary for the new position.
- When he forgot the lyrics during the concert, the audience helped him fill in the blank by singing the chorus loudly.
- The detective had most of the evidence but needed one more witness to fill in the blank and solve the mystery.
- In this exercise, you must analyze the context carefully to fill in the blank with the most appropriate word from the provided list.

## Origin

A clipping of the noun phrase fill-in-the-blank question or problem. The term represents a functional shortening of the instructional formula, recorded in English without specific attribution to a single author or date of origin.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.