fill in/out a form

[diamondcutter]

Both ‘fill in a form’ and ‘fill out a form’ have the same meaning. I can understand the logic of ‘fill in a form’, but I wonder what’s the logic of ‘fill out a form’. That's to say, I want to know the meaning of 'out' in that phrase.

 

[tedmc]

With a form I would use fill or fill up.

 

[Rover_KE]

My impression is that 'fill in' is more common in British English and 'fill out' in American English.

 

[Barman]

Neither sounds natural to me. I fill in or fill out forms.

Not a teacher

Can I write 'Fill in/ fill up/ fill out' the blanks with appropriate words?

 

[Rover_KE]

Only 'fill in the blanks' works for me.

 

[teechar]

With a form I would use fill or fill up.

While "fill" is possible when referring to forms, "fill up" is definitely not.

 

[tzfujimino]

The "out" in "fill out" might be used in the sense of "completely".


https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/out_1?q=out (definition #30)

 

[GoesStation]

My impression is that 'fill in' is more common in British English and 'fill out' in American English.

They both work for me.

 

[GoesStation]

While "fill" is possible when referring to forms, "fill up" is definitely not.

You can't fill a form in American English. You need in or out.

 

[emsr2d2]

You can't fill a form in American English. You need in or out.

Ditto for BrE.

 

[Skrej]

Both ‘fill in a form’ and ‘fill out a form’ have the same meaning. I can understand the logic of ‘fill in a form’, but I wonder what’s the logic of ‘fill out a form’. That's to say, I want to know the meaning of 'out' in that phrase.

'Fill in' and 'fill up' are phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs are idiomatic, which means they have a meaning different from (and often unrelated to) their individual components. Phrasal verbs are particularly problematic in that aspect, as changing the preposition can either completely change the meaning (e.g. turn up/turn down) or have no change at all (fill in/fill out). While there is sometimes a hint of logic with the verb on phrasal verbs, the choice of preposition (out/down/in/out/etc. ) frequently exhibits no logical connection.


'Fill out' can also mean to put on weight (become less thin), so perhaps that's the "logic" in 'filling out' a form? You're fleshing it out, so to speak. I doubt that's an accurate etymology for fill out = complete a form, but I don't suppose it hurts to think of it that way if it helps you wrap your head around it.

 

[diamondcutter]

1. He filled the bucket with water.
2. He filled in/out the form with his name and address.

In my opinion, the two actions are similar--to make something full, but Sentence 2 needs ‘in’ or ‘out’. That’s really interesting. By the way, can we also say ‘fill a form in/out’? I mean whether ‘in’ and ‘out’ here are adverbs or not.

 

[Tarheel]

Yes, you can fill a form out. (I suppose you can fill one in also.)