suffice

verb

suf·fice | \ sə-ˈfīs also -ˈfīz

sufficed; sufficing

Definition of suffice

1 : to meet or satisfy a need : be sufficient a brief note will suffice —often used with an impersonal it suffice it to say that they are dedicated, serious personalities— Cheryl Aldridge

2 : to be competent or capable

transitive verb

: to be enough for a few more should suffice them

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Examples of suffice in a Sentence

She's also decided that she can't countenance her mother, who gives Jane cash but demands that her daughter save every receipt or package to prove that she didn't spend the money on drugs. Suffice it to say, their short-lived truce is over. — Alec Klein, A Class Apart: Prodigies, Pressure, and Passion Inside One of America's Best High Schools, 2007 Thirteen years later, I still don't know exactly what to make of this letter. It goes without saying that a simple thank-you note, especially nearly a year late, would have sufficed. — Scott Turow, Atlantic, December 2005 But what of the meteoroids that come from other large objects in the solar system? To escape from Venus or the Earth, matter must be ejected at a velocity of at least seven miles a second; on Mars, three miles a second will suffice. — Donald Goldsmith, Natural History, September 2003 No, you don't need to write a letter. A phone call will suffice. Her example alone should suffice to show that anything is possible.

Recent Examples on the Web

But suffice to say, the PERS Board could easily snatch back the contributions the Legislature just took away. — oregonlive.com, "Will PERS Board follow lawmakers’ lead on pension reform, or buck them?," 5 June 2019 Megan’s brother, the comedian John Reynolds, officiated the ceremony, which, suffice to say, induced guests and the betrothed to tears of laughter. — Tara Lamont-djite, Harper's BAZAAR, "When Megan Met Henry: A Very British Wedding in Brooklyn," 11 Mar. 2019 There’s no premiere date yet for Season 5 of the Netflix show, but until then, restreams and Bandersnatch will have to suffice. — Maude Campbell, Popular Mechanics, "The 2019 Sci-Fi TV Guide," 16 Jan. 2019 Inside the cookhouse, the team sergeant decided a regular grenade wasn’t going to suffice. — Michael M. Phillips, WSJ, "‘I Think I’ve Been Shot’: Nighttime Raid in Afghanistan Reveals New U.S. Strategy," 5 Dec. 2018 Sitting around politely and keeping our mouths shut isn’t going to suffice anymore. — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "How to be Fearless in the Face of a Pissing Pug," 1 June 2017 Indoors, this more than suffices, but the sound doesn't project well when outdoors. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Hands-on with a $434 replica lightsaber: May the dork be with you," 25 Dec. 2018 Different skill levels suffice for different projects, and the goal is generally to do the minimum required and save resources rather than making everything completely watertight. — Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, "Yes, Even Elite Hackers Make Dumb Mistakes," 25 Mar. 2018 Having already featured a stacked lineup that included The Cool Kids, Black Lips and Local H, the stream of quality continues as The Mountain Goats boast a varied 16-album discography that more than suffices to honor the legendary Chicago venue. — Efrain Dorado, RedEye Chicago, "5 must-see concerts this week: Boney, Ratboys, Taste of Chicago," 27 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'suffice.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for suffice

Middle English suffisen, sufficen "to be adequate, be capable," borrowed from Anglo-French suffis-, stem of suffire "to be sufficient for, be adequate," Latinization of Old French sofire, soufire, going back to Vulgar Latin *suffīcere, alteration (with ī from verbs such as dīcere "to say") of Latin sufficere "to provide, appoint, have enough strength or capacity, be adequate," from suf-, assimilated form of sub- sub- + facere "to make, do" — more at fact