Word
fulfill
Phoneticsful·fill, stress on the second syllable
/fʊɫˈfɪɫ/
UK spelling · fulfil
Definitions
01to satisfy a requirement
B2 · Upper Intermediate American English
v. to do what is required by a law, a promise, or a contract.
v. to satisfy or carry out a requirement, obligation, or promise. Transitive — requires a direct object.
“The company failed to fulfill the terms of the contract on time.”
“The applicant must fulfill all the academic requirements before the committee can consider their professional experience for the role.”
Usage
Commonly used with objects like 'requirements', 'obligations', 'promises', or 'duties'.
02to achieve a goal
B2 · Upper Intermediate American English
v. to make a dream or a hope come true.
v. to bring to fruition or realize a potential, dream, or ambition.
“She finally fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming a pilot.”
“After years of rigorous training, the athlete finally fulfilled his potential by winning the gold medal at the international championships.”
03to feel satisfied
B2 · Upper Intermediate American English
v. to make someone feel happy and satisfied because they are doing something useful.
v. to provide emotional or spiritual satisfaction; to develop one's talents to the fullest extent.
“Helping other people really fulfills him and gives his life meaning.”
“Many professionals find that high salaries alone do not fulfill them if the work lacks a sense of social purpose.”
Antonyms
04to process an order
B2 · Upper Intermediate Business American English · Technical
v. to pack and ship an order for a customer.
v. to process, pack, and distribute goods in response to a customer order.
“The warehouse works 24 hours a day to fulfill online orders.”
“The logistics department struggled to fulfill the surge of holiday orders due to unexpected supply chain disruptions.”
Usage
Often used in e-commerce and logistics contexts regarding 'orders' or 'requests'.
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “fulfill” in context.
Verb
01. fulfil requirement
“Applicants must fulfil every requirement listed in the job description to be considered for the role.”
verb + noun
Real-World Examples
“Animals fulfill a wide range of roles in human society.” “This changes the starting question from What source do I need to fulfill the assignment?” Etymology
From Middle English fulfillen, from Old English fullfyllan (“to fill full”). By surface analysis, full- + fill.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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