Word
prefill
Phoneticspre·fill, stress on the second syllable
/ˌpɹiˈfɪl/
Definitions
01to fill in a form ahead of time
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to fill in information on a form or document before you give it to someone. This is often done by a computer to save you time.
v. to populate fields in a digital form or document with data before it is presented to the user. Often describes automated processes that use existing database records to streamline data entry.
“The website will prefill your address if you are logged in.”
“Modern web browsers can prefill sensitive payment information, provided the user has granted permission to store such data within their encrypted profile.”
02an AI model reading a prompt
B2 · Upper Intermediate Computing Technical
v. to read the whole prompt in one pass before an AI model writes its first token. This is the first step of AI inference.
v. In LLM inference, to process all prompt tokens in parallel and compute the key-value cache before generation begins. This phase is compute-intensive and sets how long a user waits for the first token.
“The server will prefill the prompt before the model writes its first word.”
“Because the chip can prefill a long prompt in parallel, reading a large document takes far less time per token than writing the answer.”
Synonyms
Usage
Transitive — requires a direct object, typically a form, field, or document.
Etymology
From pre- + fill, a straightforward compound of Latin origin and native English verb.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944EikenEikenTest in Practical English ProficiencyThe English proficiency test from the Eiken Foundation of Japan, widely taken by Japanese students. Grades run from 5 to 1, with Pre-1 and Pre-2 between them.Pre-1
- Frequency
- Rare
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/prefill