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

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

Kroger said it would use stores more often to fulfill online orders and focus on “capital-light” automation efforts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

He allegedly used his illicit wealth to fulfill his dreams of playing professional soccer, buying himself a spot in the starting lineup for teams he bankrolled.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

Arcuri expects Micron to be able to fulfill about 60% of demand for dynamic random-access memory next year, while bit demand for server double-data rate memory will likely grow about 80% in that time frame.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

And so he dictated elaborate and specific demands that it was then Lazlo’s duty to fulfill, with the help of a number of locals Suheyla organized to assist him.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Prigozhin’s success fulfilled the ambitions of his father, who spent years grooming him for the job.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 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

“We fulfilled our $500 deductible and assumed 80% after that would be covered,” Higginbotham said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

The NBA issued the following sanctions after a third-party probe determined Ballmer invested $60 million in a now-defunct company that in turn agreed to pay Leonard $28 million for endorsements he never fulfilled:

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

None of the tales she had read gave her reason to hope; even Eilis, who had succeeded in her quest, fulfilled her end of the bargain.

From "Ash" by Malinda Lo

But a noisy portion of the British public is questioning whether the museum is fulfilling Burnham’s commitment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

"UNC remains committed to maintaining and enforcing the Armistice Agreement and fulfilling its responsibilities to preserve stability and prevent escalation on the Korean Peninsula," it said.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

But if you’re looking for joy online, we have diversions to help make this day fulfilling.

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026

The museum board said Exposition Park would allow the institution to “have the greatest impact on the broader community, fulfilling our goal of inspiring, engaging and educating a broad and diverse visitorship.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

It wasn’t like she wasn’t fulfilling Elena’s command to win, either—she would have fought this hard to become the King’s Champion anyway.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

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