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)

Etymology

Origin of fulfill

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

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

Speaking then to the New York Times as a candidate, he said: "This is something that I intend to fulfill."

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

But its former leaders worry that with the exodus of attorneys and the changing nature of the division’s approach, it has lost the ability to fulfill its mission.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026

Whether he chooses to fulfill his destiny alongside his twin remains to be seen.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

According to the firm’s website, it is testing its initial chip design and working to validate its first product to fulfill $1 billion in demand from customers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

As she fell asleep beside him, Bigwig wondered how on earth he was going to fulfill this promise and whether they would be woken by the Council police.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

"I never really felt that it protected me or entirely fulfilled the purpose that it was meant to."

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

According to BCA Research, hyperscaler cloud backlogs — orders received but not yet fulfilled — have grown by roughly $750 billion over just the past two quarters.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested $60 million in the now-defunct company that in turn agreed to pay Leonard $28 million for endorsements he never fulfilled.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

In other words, Folayan concludes, the Pasha’s reaction was logical: Since the Americans had not fulfilled their contract, he did not consider himself obligated to fulfill his.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

In 1990, McKissick fulfilled a lifelong dream when he was appointed as a judge for North Carolina’s Ninth Judicial District.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

"We're not focused on any particular timeline. We're focused on fulfilling the legal and statutory requirements," he said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Listening to everyone else talk about what they do for work, their careers just seemed so much more interesting and fulfilling.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

In Shenzhen, a tech hub bordering Hong Kong, robotics company Elephant Robotics is busy fulfilling international orders, with roughly 70% of its sales coming from overseas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

“What can I say? Being recognized by my peers in this way is the cherry on top of the most creatively fulfilling experience of my life,” Einbinder said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

“Much like how being a naiad did not sound very fulfilling to her from a mortal perspective.”

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull