suffice

verb suf·fice \ sə-ˈfīs also -ˈfīz \

|Updated on: 23 Jul 2018

Examples: suffice in a Sentence

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

noun

See suffice defined for English-language learners

See suffice defined for kids

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

Teaching your child to offer a pleasant greeting and smile may have to suffice in some situations.

— betsy cribb, Southern Living, "The Proper Way to Teach Kids to Introduce Themselves, According to an Etiquette Expert," 10 July 2018
Some schools have a more casual dress code for their homecoming dances, where jean shorts and a cute top will suffice, while others require a dress or suit for the occassion.

— carolyn twersky, Seventeen, "What is Homecoming?," 9 July 2018
For instance, where simple barriers fail, more complex deterrents that engage multiple sensory modalities—such as a lock that also incorporates a frightening noise—may suffice.

— katherine j. wu, Smithsonian, "How Humans Created the Ultimate Superpests," 9 July 2018
Santana wore three sets of plastic goggles to guard against the kickback of mud, and on Saturday just one might have sufficed.

— jonas shaffer, baltimoresun.com, "For jockeys, goggles are a necessary shield against horse racing's nastier elements," 19 May 2018
To reveal much more than this would spoil the experience, but suffice to say this is a movie that begins like a News of the Weird anecdote and turns increasingly dark.

— peter rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Three Identical Strangers' is a true story that could only be believed because it actually happened," 29 June 2018
The bill allows a parents' note to suffice for the student to use the product.

— kathleen gray, Detroit Free Press, "Legislature approves Rick Snyder's 'Marshall Plan' before summer break," 12 June 2018
Patel eventually reach out to the popular artist via the social media platform and, suffice to say, the rest is history.

— justin phillips, San Francisco Chronicle, "Inside Besharam, now open for Gujarati dinner service," 31 May 2018
Facebook began alerting some users that their personal information was accessed during the Cambridge Analytica data breach, and suffice to say, Facebook users aren’t happy.

— flora carr, Time, "Facebook Is Telling People Their Data Was Misused by Cambridge Analytica and They’re Furious," 10 Apr. 2018

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.

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year