sufficed; sufficing
1
: to meet or satisfy a need : be sufficient
a brief note will suffice
—often used with an impersonal itsuffice it to say that they are dedicated, serious personalities—
Cheryl Aldridge
Cheryl Aldridge2
: to be competent or capable
: to be enough for
a few more should suffice them
sufficer
noun
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.
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 unlike the post-Enron era when adding one qualified financial expert sufficed, the AI revolution demands something far more radical: every director must become AI literate, or risk becoming a liability in the intelligence age.
—Steven Wolfe Pereira, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
Several roster holes to fill and if a long term option isn't ideal then a short term,stop gap move may suffice.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 18 June 2025
In a twenty-year-old with no relevant history, the same finding is likely benign—watchful waiting may suffice.
—Siddhartha Mukherjee, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
Plates and utensils from home will suffice at the beginning.
—Geoffrey Morrison, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for suffice
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Steven Wolfe Pereira, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
Several roster holes to fill and if a long term option isn't ideal then a short term,stop gap move may suffice.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 18 June 2025
In a twenty-year-old with no relevant history, the same finding is likely benign—watchful waiting may suffice.
—Siddhartha Mukherjee, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
Plates and utensils from home will suffice at the beginning.
—Geoffrey Morrison, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for suffice
Cite this Entry
“Suffice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suffice. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
suffice
verb
suf·fice
sə-ˈfīs 
sufficed; sufficing
1
: to meet or satisfy a need : be sufficient
a brief note will suffice
2
: to be competent or capable
3
: to be enough for
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