fulfill

verb

ful·​fill fu̇(l)-ˈfil 

also fə(l)-

variants or fulfil

fulfilled; fulfilling

transitive verb

1

a

: to put into effect : execute

He fulfilled his pledge to cut taxes.

b

: to meet the requirements of (a business order)

Their order for more TVs was promptly fulfilled.

c

: to measure up to : satisfy

She hasn't yet fulfilled the requirements needed to graduate.

d

: to bring to an end

… she came to install herself and fulfill her time at the house.

—Willa Cather

2

a

: to develop the full potentialities of

He has a lot of talent, but he hasn't really fulfilled his potential.

b

: to convert into reality

… a sense of the failure of life to fulfil its ultimate expectations.

—Leslie Rees

3

archaic : to make full : fill

Her subtle, warm, and golden breath … fulfills him with beatitude.

—Alfred Tennyson

fulfiller noun

Synonyms of fulfill

• satisfy
• keep
• complete
• meet

Choose the Right Synonym for fulfill

perform, execute, discharge, accomplish, achieve, effect, fulfill mean to carry out or into effect.

perform implies action that follows established patterns or procedures or fulfills agreed-upon requirements and often connotes special skill.

performed gymnastics

execute stresses the carrying out of what exists in plan or in intent.

executed the hit-and-run

discharge implies execution and completion of appointed duties or tasks.

discharged his duties

accomplish stresses the successful completion of a process rather than the means of carrying it out.

accomplished everything they set out to do

achieve adds to accomplish the implication of conquered difficulties.

achieve greatness

effect adds to achieve an emphasis on the inherent force in the agent capable of surmounting obstacles.

effected sweeping reforms

fulfill implies a complete realization of ends or possibilities.

fulfilled their ambitions

Examples of fulfill in a Sentence

He fulfilled his pledge to cut taxes.

She failed to fulfill her obligations.

The program is intended to fulfill the basic needs of children in the community.

If we could have that house, our dreams would be fulfilled.

He fulfilled his childhood wish to become a professional baseball player.

She fulfilled her life's ambition when she started her own business.

He's trying to fulfill himself as an artist.

Recent Examples on the Web

Altman pitched the conversion as critical to securing the vast amount of funding OpenAI needs to fulfill its mission of creating artificial general intelligence — or AGI — that will benefit humanity. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026

Jobs had taken out a $15,000 loan to fulfill the company’s first order from a Bay Area computer store—one Wayne knew had a shaky reputation for paying its bills. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2026

While the company still fulfills those practical needs, Hurtigruten now has small cruise ships that welcome tourists along for the ride. —Karen Gardiner, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2026

Guzmán said that the shipment has been able to fulfill only a fraction of what the country needs to operate. —ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fulfillen, from Old English fullfyllan, from full full entry 1 + fyllan "to fill entry 1"

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing fulfill

• keep/fulfill one's promise

Rhymes for fulfill

• anthill
• backfill
• bluegill
• crossbill
• distil
• distill
• downhill
• dunghill
• foothill
• fulfil
• goodwill
• gristmill

Kids Definition

fulfill

verb

ful·​fill

variants or fulfil

fu̇l-ˈfil 

fulfilled; fulfilling

1

: accomplish

fulfill a promise

2

: to measure up to : satisfy

fulfill requirements

fulfiller noun

fulfillment

-mənt

noun