Meaning & use
fulfil (British)
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Meanings
verbtransitiveBritish
To do or complete what was promised, required, or expected of you.
Grammar: Takes an object: fulfil a promise, fulfil a duty, fulfil an order.
Patterns
- fulfil a promise
- fulfil a duty
- fulfil an obligation
- fulfil an order
She worked hard to fulfil the promise she had made to her parents.
The company must fulfil every order before the end of the month.
He finally fulfilled his duty as team captain.
verbtransitiveBritish
To make someone feel satisfied and happy with what they are doing in life.
Grammar: Often used as be fulfilled or feel fulfilled with no object after it.
Patterns
- fulfil someone
- be fulfilled by something
- feel fulfilled
Teaching fulfils her in a way that office work never did.
He felt fulfilled after years of doing a job he loved.
Many people are not fulfilled by a high salary alone.
verbtransitiveBritishformal
To meet a condition, standard, or requirement that is set out in rules.
Grammar: Takes an object; common in formal and academic writing about rules and criteria.
Patterns
- fulfil a condition
- fulfil a requirement
- fulfil the criteria
Applicants must fulfil all the conditions listed in the notice.
The new building fulfils the safety requirements.
Does this plan fulfil the criteria for funding?
Word forms
| third person singular | fulfils |
|---|---|
| past tense | fulfilled |
| past participle | fulfilled |
| -ing form | fulfilling |
Common combinations
- fulfil a promise
- He was determined to fulfil a promise he had made years earlier.
- fulfil your potential
- With better training, she could fulfil her potential as a runner.
- fulfil an obligation
- The landlord must fulfil his obligation to repair the roof.
- fulfil a dream
- Saving for ten years let them fulfil a dream of owning a small farm.
- fulfil the requirements
- The essay does not fulfil the requirements for this course.
Synonyms and how they differ
- satisfy
- Often used for conditions and needs, and slightly more neutral than fulfil; you satisfy a requirement, but you fulfil a promise.
- meet
- Very common with standards and needs (meet a deadline, meet a need); fulfil sounds a little more formal and personal.
- carry out
- Focuses on actually doing a task or order, while fulfil stresses that what was promised or required is now complete.
- achieve
- Used for goals and success rather than duties; you achieve a goal but fulfil a duty.
Opposites
Word family
- fulfillment noun
- American spelling; the British form is fulfilment, meaning a feeling of satisfaction or the act of completing something.
- fulfilment noun
- British spelling; a feeling of being satisfied, or the completing of a duty or promise.
- fulfilling adjective
- Describes work or an experience that makes you feel happy and satisfied.
- fulfilled adjective
- Feeling content because your life or work gives you satisfaction.
- fulfiller noun
- Rare; a person or company that completes orders or carries out promises.
Commonly confused: fulfil (British) or fill? fulfil (British) or fulfill?
fulfil (British) vs fill
Fill means to make something full, as in fill a glass with water; fulfil means to complete or satisfy something such as a promise.
fulfil (British) vs fulfill
This is the American spelling with two l's; British English normally uses fulfil with one l.
Practice
Which sentence uses the correct British spelling?
Choose one answer.
British English writes fulfil with a single l, so 'fulfil her dream' is correct. Option 1 uses the American two-l spelling, option 3 adds an extra e, and option 4 uses the third-person form with 'to', which is ungrammatical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fulfil (British)”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.