Polyfill
noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A synthetic textile used for bulk or insulation, e.g., in stuffed animals or coats. uncountable
"The racks include blouses and sweaters and some polyfill vests, with corduroy coats and outerwear due to be in stock as the weather cools."
- 2 An algorithm to fill a polygon with a particular color. uncountable
"In the process i have come up with the following algorithm , and i wonder if it is a good one (i.e. fast), and also if anyone can give me tips on any other fast polyfill algoritm^([sic])."
- 3 A plugin that provides the functionality of newer browsers to older versions.
"A common way to group elements for collective use by JavaScript is to assign them the same (CSS) class and then to use getElementsByClassName(). Possibly with a polyfill for the "certain old browser"."
- 1 To create or apply a polyfill. intransitive, transitive
"See the FAQ. Or polyfill String.prototype.trim() if necessary and just call .trim()."
Example
More examples"The racks include blouses and sweaters and some polyfill vests, with corduroy coats and outerwear due to be in stock as the weather cools."
Etymology
Blend of polyester + fill.
Blend of polygon + fill.
Named with reference to the spackling paste Polyfilla.
More for "polyfill"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.