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

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 But suffice to say there's a great military interest in that topic and time. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "The Space Launch Legend Who's Backing a Startup," 8 Nov. 2018 But if investors needed confirmation that economic conditions in the U.S. are past their peak, Tuesday’s results from these two giant banks should suffice. — Aaron Back, WSJ, "Big Banks Flash Warning Light," 15 Jan. 2019 The impersonal blandness of Applebee’s no longer suffices. — Craig Laban, Philly.com, "Founding Farmers and the woke chain awakening of King of Prussia," 29 Mar. 2018 So a vote in December and another in January would suffice. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Gerrymandering a State Constitution," 3 Dec. 2018 Given the diamond theme, only the finest jewels would suffice, and an oversize pair of Chopard sparklers provided the perfect complement to Mabille’s romanatic couture. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Rihanna Shuts Down the Diamond Ball Red Carpet in Jaw-Dropping Couture," 14 Sep. 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.

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