# fulfill

/fʊɫˈfɪɫ/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/fulfill
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to satisfy a requirement

verb · CEFR B2 · American English

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

For teachers: 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'.

### 2. to achieve a goal

verb · CEFR B2 · American English

to make a dream or a hope come true.

For teachers: 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.

### 3. to feel satisfied

verb · CEFR B2 · American English

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

For teachers: 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.

### 4. to process an order

verb · CEFR B2 · American English · Technical

to pack and ship an order for a customer.

For teachers: 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'.

## Examples

- She worked hard to fulfill her dream of becoming a pilot.
- The supplier promised to fulfill the order within three business days to avoid any delays in production.
- While the candidate possessed the necessary technical skills, he failed to fulfill the leadership requirements outlined in the senior management job description.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.