Definition of suffice
sufficed
;sufficing
intransitive verb
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
sufficer
nounFrom the M-W Editors
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 of suffice from the Web
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Suffice it to say, there's a cosmic connection with an interplanetary entity.
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As much as any band, they were poorly served by the CD era, feeling obligated to stuff 75 minutes of music onto each album when 40 would have sufficed.
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Democrats need to repeat Ted Cruz’s lie that eight justices will suffice.
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The less one knows about this movie going in the better, so suffice to say that from this goofy beginning, Tickled becomes ever darker, gradually uncovering a world of big-money lawsuits, blackmail, secret identities, and exploitation.
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A folding chair in the middle of the cramped room will have to suffice.
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And in a time without much news to report, sometimes just a quote will suffice.
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Yes, whack-a-mole strikes usually succeed best in enraging the local population, but that will have to suffice until Al Qaeda scores a bigger hit on America.
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Origin and Etymology of suffice
Middle English, from Anglo-French suffis-, stem of suffire, from Latin sufficere to provide, be adequate, from sub- + facere to make, do — more at do
First Known Use: 14th century
SUFFICE Defined for English Language Learners
suffice
playDefinition of suffice for English Language Learners
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: to be or provide as much as is needed : to be sufficient
SUFFICE Defined for Kids
suffice
playDefinition of suffice for Students
sufficed
;sufficing
: to satisfy a need : be enough I'm hungry, but just a snack will suffice.
Learn More about suffice
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See words that rhyme with suffice Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for suffice Spanish Central: Translation of suffice Nglish: Translation of suffice for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of suffice for Arabic speakers
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