ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fulfill

v.
US //fʊɫˈfɪɫ// ful·fill
  1. 1 to satisfy a requirement (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate American English

    to do what is required by a law, a promise, or a contract.

    to satisfy or carry out a requirement, obligation, or promise. Transitive — requires a direct object.

    Example

    The company failed to fulfill the terms of the contract on time.

    Example

    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'.
  2. 2 to achieve a goal (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate American English

    to make a dream or a hope come true.

    to bring to fruition or realize a potential, dream, or ambition.

    Example

    She finally fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming a pilot.

    Example

    After years of rigorous training, the athlete finally fulfilled his potential by winning the gold medal at the international championships.
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  1. 3 to feel satisfied (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate American English

    to make someone feel happy and satisfied because they are doing something useful.

    to provide emotional or spiritual satisfaction; to develop one's talents to the fullest extent.

    Example

    Helping other people really fulfills him and gives his life meaning.

    Example

    Many professionals find that high salaries alone do not fulfill them if the work lacks a sense of social purpose.
  2. 4 to process an order (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate American English Technical Business

    to pack and ship an order for a customer.

    to process, pack, and distribute goods in response to a customer order.

    Example

    The warehouse works 24 hours a day to fulfill online orders.

    Example

    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'.
Origin

From Middle English fulfillen, from Old English fullfyllan (“to fill full”). By surface analysis, full- + fill.

Word family

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