fulfil
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to bring about the completion or achievement of (a desire, promise, etc)
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to carry out or execute (a request, etc)
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to conform with or satisfy (regulations, demands, etc)
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to finish or reach the end of
he fulfilled his prison sentence
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to achieve one's potential or desires
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fulfil
Old English fulfyllan
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Amin said he was paid half the $20,000 for which he agreed to lease his land to a mining firm that failed to fulfil a promise to restore his fields after the work stopped.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
"We want to reach Europe and fulfil our dreams and those of our families," Ahmad, a migrant from Yemen, told AFPTV.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
Both he and his new Chancellor, John Healey, face the tricky task of finding the extra money needed to fulfil the pledge.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
"There is a lot of young talent in and around the team and our aim is to help them fulfil their potential as world-class cricketers."
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
“Alas! Yes, my father,” replied I; “some destiny of the most horrible kind hangs over me, and I must live to fulfil it, or surely I should have died on the coffin of Henry.”
From "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley
Meanwhile, the share fulfilled by Canadian lumber has shrunk to about 19%, from more than 30% in 2016, the trade group says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
It highlighted an unregulated funeral industry in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and raised questions about whether two local authorities fulfilled all of their responsibilities regarding the registration of deaths.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 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
For him, the restaurant— don’t dare call it a diner—with its twenty-dollar salads and elegant decor represents the American promise of upward mobility, one that has been fulfilled countless times for generations of hardworking immigrants.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
Olmo must decide between fulfilling his duty or pursuing his age-appropriate impulse for fun.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Official sources briefing Iranian media stressed that any reopening would depend on the United States fulfilling what Tehran sees as its commitment to end its own naval blockade of Iran's ports.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
"This is the most thrilling, entertaining, fulfilling job we could have ever asked for."
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
However, it doesn’t mean that global memory players will be shut out from fulfilling China’s memory needs, he notes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
It was the beauty of a creature fulfilling her exact purpose in the world, being the precise thing she had trained her whole life to be.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
