Other forms: fulfilled, fulfilling, fulfills
To fulfill is to carry a promise, duty or dream through to completion. Fulfill a promise, fulfill the requirements, a fulfilling job.
This is the American spelling; British English writes fulfil with one l, and both double it before -ed and -ing. It covers promises, conditions, ambitions and roles: fulfill a contract, fulfill her potential. Fulfilling as an adjective means satisfying in a deep way, which is what people want from work. Note fulfillment; and self-fulfilling prophecy, meaning a prediction that causes itself to come true.
1verbfulfillTo carry a promise or duty through to completion.
“He worked two jobs to fulfill his promise to pay back the loan.”
synonyms: fulfil, carry out
2verbsatisfyTo satisfy somebody deeply.
“The work did not fulfill her and the pay did not either.”
fulfill is a carrying through.
Also accepted in games: fulfil
Old English fullfyllan means to fill full — full plus fill, both native English words. It is one of the plainest compounds in the language and has never needed a Latin replacement.
Old English
fullfyllan — to fill full
Middle English
fulfillen
English, today
fulfill
From Middle English fulfillen, from Old English fullfyllan (“to fill full”). by surface analysis, full- + fill.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA