First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
suffice
verb suf·fice \sə-ˈfīs also -ˈfīz\
: to be or provide as much as is needed : to be sufficient
suf·ficedsuf·fic·ing
Full Definition of SUFFICE
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>
— suf·fic·er noun
See suffice defined for English-language learners
See suffice defined for kids
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Examples of SUFFICE
- 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
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Origin 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
Rhymes with SUFFICE
SUFFICING Defined for Kids
suffice
verb suf·fice \sə-ˈfīs\
suf·ficedsuf·fic·ing
Definition of SUFFICE for Kids
: to satisfy a need : be enough <I'm hungry, but just a snack will suffice.>
Learn More About SUFFICE
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