fulfill

American  

[fool-fil] / fʊlˈfɪl /

especially British, fulfil

verb (used with object)

fulfilled, fulfilling

1. 

   to carry out, or bring to realization, as a prophecy or promise.

   Synonyms:

   realize, complete, achieve, accomplish

2. to perform or do, as duty; obey or follow, as commands.

   Synonyms:

   observe, discharge, execute

3. to satisfy (requirements, obligations, etc.).

   a book that fulfills a long-felt need.

   Synonyms:

   fill, answer, meet

4. to bring to an end; finish or complete, as a period of time.

   He felt that life was over when one had fulfilled his threescore years and ten.

   Synonyms:

   conclude, terminate, end

5. to develop the full potential of (usually used reflexively).

   She realized that she could never fulfill herself in such work.

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Other Word Forms

• fulfiller
  noun
• overfulfill
  verb (used with object)
• prefulfill
  verb (used with object)
• superfulfill
  verb (used with object)

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Etymology

Origin of fulfill

First recorded before 1000; Middle English fulfillen, Old English fulfyllan. See full ¹, fill

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Explanation

The verb fulfill means to fill a need or want. To fulfill yourself personally means to follow your inner passion, like flute-playing, no matter who thinks it's silly. Fulfill can also mean to meet expectations, or live up to a standard. If you fulfill your teacher's requirement of good behavior and good test scores, she'll give you a star. Finally, fulfill can mean to put into effect, or carry out. You'll fulfill the cookie orders when you deliver boxes of those tasty treats to the people who bought them.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fulfill fulfilled fulfilling

"Rwanda remains ready to fully implement the Washington Accords, concurrently with the willingness of the DRC to fulfill those commitments, and with the mediator holding all parties accountable," she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

It could be some time before the company produces enough oil to fulfill a significant share of U.S. demand.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026

Moynihan said the company had redeployed some staff to fulfill compliance obligations, meaning it won't mean additional costs in the future for these functions.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

The HomeView shows that Apple is, at the very least, thinking beyond the iPhone to fulfill that vision.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

I can’t imagine thinking a prophecy was about me, then seeing someone else fulfill it.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

“To have a film revolve around male friendship as Martin’s do, I think fills a need that you don’t see fulfilled very much,” Malkovich says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

Then came the order in which a request for Panko breadcrumbs was fulfilled with a box of vanilla wafers.

From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026

"We have witnessed him giving a lot of promises and they are yet to be fulfilled," said Mahmoud, the artist.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

"No," he told RTE Sport when asked is Uefa threatened additional sanctions if one or both of the matches were not fulfilled.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

He thinks Reggie has fulfilled a mission as great as any he could’ve aspired to through church work.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Kyiv's human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said Ukraine was "fulfilling its commitments" to the ceasefire.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

Macron's visit was intended to demonstrate that "the state is present, standing firm and fulfilling its mission to protect," an aide said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

Overdeck testified in August that if private information about Two Sigma were to become public, he worried Siegel could take legal action against him for not fulfilling his confidentiality obligations to the firm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

Far from fulfilling a Heated Rivalry fantasy with male friends who “had her back,” she entered a dystopia of manosphere misogyny.

From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026

After all, King himself was speaking, first and foremost, as a preacher, fulfilling an emerging mission of religion: preaching the social gospel of justice and equality.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

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