Fill

A fill is the execution of your order at a specific price. When your broker confirms that your buy or sell order has been completed, you've received a fill. A complete fill means your entire order was executed; a partial fill means only some of it was processed, with the rest still pending.

Fill quality depends on several factors: the type of order you placed, current market liquidity, the size of your order, and your broker's execution infrastructure. Market orders get filled quickly but at whatever price is available. Limit orders get filled only at your specified price or better, but they might not get filled at all if the market doesn't reach your level.

In fast-moving markets, there's often a difference between the price you requested and the price you actually received — that's slippage. Good brokers minimize slippage through better technology and deeper liquidity pools. If you're consistently getting poor fills, it might be time to evaluate whether your broker's execution quality meets your needs.