Meaning & use
deliver on
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Meaning
phrasephrasal verb
to do what you promised or agreed to do; to achieve what was expected
Grammar: Takes an object after 'on': deliver on a promise. The object is often a promise, commitment, plan, or expectations.
Patterns
- deliver on a promise
- deliver on a commitment
- deliver on expectations
- deliver on something
The company promised to cut prices, but it failed to deliver on that promise.
The government must deliver on its commitment to improve public services.
She always delivers on her word, so everyone trusts her.
Common combinations
- deliver on a promise
- The mayor delivered on his promise to build a new park.
- deliver on a commitment
- The team delivered on its commitment to finish the project on time.
- deliver on expectations
- The new phone failed to deliver on expectations and sold poorly.
- fail to deliver on
- The supplier failed to deliver on the agreed schedule.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fulfill
- Fulfill is more formal and often used for promises, duties, or conditions; it can be used without 'on' (fulfill a promise), while deliver on always needs 'on'.
- honor
- Honor is used especially with commitments and agreements and sounds formal; it means to keep a promise, while deliver on focuses on achieving the promised result.
- meet
- Meet is common with expectations, standards, or needs; it means to reach a required level, while deliver on suggests actively doing what was promised.
Opposites
Commonly confused: deliver on or deliver?
deliver on vs deliver
Deliver on needs 'on' and a promise-like object; deliver alone usually means to take goods or letters to a place (deliver a package).
Practice
The manager promised a pay rise, but the company never ______.
Choose one answer.
The phrasal verb 'deliver on' is inseparable, so the pronoun 'it' must come after 'on': delivered on it. 'Delivered it on' wrongly separates the verb and particle. 'Delivered on' needs an object. 'Delivered it' changes the meaning to physically taking something.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “deliver on”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.