fulfillment

American  

[fool-fil-muhnt] / fʊlˈfɪl mənt /

especially British, fulfilment

noun

• fulfillments
  plural

1. the act or state of fulfilling: to achieve fulfillment of one's hopes.

   to witness the fulfillment of a dream;

   to achieve fulfillment of one's hopes.

2. the state or quality of being fulfilled; completion; realization.

   a vague plan that had no hope of fulfillment.

3. the process or business of handling and executing customer orders, as packing, shipping, or processing checks.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prefulfillment
  noun
• superfulfillment
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• fulfillments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fulfillment

First recorded in 1765–75; fulfill + -ment

Explanation

Fulfillment is a feeling of happiness and satisfaction. It's also the completion of something, like the fulfillment of a promise. This word has two related meanings. In terms of emotions, fulfillment is a happy, contented feeling. Many people feel fulfillment from being a parent, having a great job, or graduating from school. People often feel fulfillment when something is completed, whether it's a goal or a dream or repair work that you've been waiting on. Which leads to the other meaning of fulfillment — the act of finishing or doing something that was promised.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fulfillment fulfillments

“Over the past several weeks, we’ve been transitioning to a new fulfillment partner, and to say that it has not gone smoothly would be an understatement.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Many of the companies have struggled to find a financial model that works long term and have cycled through different ownership and fulfillment models.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Staples will also lay off 109 employees at a fulfillment center in La Mirada on Oct.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The last mile is typically the most expensive part of the e-commerce fulfillment process, because carrying one or two packages to individual addresses is so labor-intensive and time-intensive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Yet now that the command was his, the fulfillment of an old and troubled dream, he suffered a hollowness of spirit that had the unmistakable dimension of anticlimax.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Over on the opinion pages, Mr. Hallowell explores how the nativity story weaves together a beautiful tapestry of fascinating figures, themes and prophetic fulfillments.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 25, 2023

So I still get those kinds of fulfillments, but it was great being in the newsroom with people.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2020

In return for replacing unconscious repression with conscious renunciation, we get a civilisation, and all its bounty – stability, a sense of purpose, the fulfillments of culture.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 12, 2018

But his analysis of it, and the resulting conclusion — that dreams are wish fulfillments — proved revolutionary.

From New York Times ● Aug. 29, 2014

All these events, and many more, are said to be fulfillments of the Prophecies of the Old Testament, see Mat.

From The Grounds of Christianity Examined by Comparing The New Testament with the Old by George Bethune English

Related Words

• achievement
• attainment
• contentment
• gratification
• perfection
• realization