suffice
Americanverb (used without object)
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suffices,
present (3rd person singular)
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sufficed,
past participle, past
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sufficing
present participle
verb (used with object)
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suffices,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sufficed,
past participle, past
-
sufficing
present participle
verb
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to be adequate or satisfactory for (something)
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(takes a clause as object) let us say no more than that; I shall just say that
Usage
What does suffice mean? To suffice is to be just enough, or adequate, as in I can fold the laundry later, so taking the clothes out of the dryer will suffice. When something suffices, it might not meet all your needs, but it will meet at least a minimum of them. For example, you might feel somewhat rested when you get seven hours of sleep but really well rested when you get nine hours. Nine hours of sleep might be most desirable, but seven hours suffices. Example: It could be better, but I suppose this will suffice.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sufficesimple
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sufficessimple
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have sufficedperfect
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has sufficedperfect
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am sufficingprogressive
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are sufficingprogressive
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is sufficingprogressive
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have been sufficingperfect progressive
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has been sufficingperfect progressive
Past
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sufficedsimple
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had sufficedperfect
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was sufficingprogressive
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were sufficingprogressive
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had been sufficingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of suffice
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English sufficen, from Latin sufficere “to put under, supply, be capable,” from suf- suf- + -ficere, combining form of facere “to do, make” ( see also do 1); replacing Middle English suffisen, from Old French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
To suffice is to be enough, in either quality or quantity. It may not be gourmet all the time, but if your food is healthy, it will suffice. The word suffice comes from a combination of the Latin words sub ("under") and facere ("make") that together mean "meet the need of." This need is usually the bare minimum — no leftovers, nothing fancy. The common phrase "Suffice it to say" means "I'll just say" or "All that needs to be said is...."
Vocabulary lists containing suffice
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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"Easter, 1916" by W.B. Yeats
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The Book Thief
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Judge Michael O'Grady KC said: "The word 'wicked' is an old fashioned word, but there are times when no other word will suffice."
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Goldstein’s defense team said prison time wasn’t appropriate, arguing that a lengthy period of probation and restitution obligations would suffice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Experts, however, advise moderation — saying that regular old water and a balanced diet generally suffice against a backdrop of wellness shortcuts and health hacks.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
Instead, it suggests, semiannual and annual reports should suffice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
I saw many interesting things, some of which may bear mentioning later, but for now suffice to say that she showed me all the vast and varied corners of the Underthing.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
The percentage of Yuka users who pay for premium is tiny but that suffices because the total number of users is so enormous, she adds.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
But military experts say that domestic production now suffices to ensure the front line wouldn’t imminently collapse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
I could go on, but it suffices to say that “The Osbournes” sits near the root system of celebreality’s Tree of Life, for richer or poorer.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2025
Banks have been creating children’s bank account products for decades, but with the rise in e-commerce and financial technology companies, a basic checking account for a teenager no longer suffices.
From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2023
This quick tour through Africa’s food staples suffices to show that some of them traveled a long way from their points of origin, both inside and outside Africa.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
He said their occupation of the guardhouse would have sufficed in causing disruption and the damage they caused was "gratuitous" and for "performance purposes only".
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026
Is it remotely possible that any such explanation would have sufficed in previous eras?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2025
The defensive highlights sufficed against the struggling Raiders, a team with future Hall of Famer Tom Brady now on the ownership roster but, unfortunately for coach Antonio Pierce, not playing quarterback.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2024
Instead, it sufficed that they possess an "inner beard," the strength and insight that grows within a man and is represented, but not necessarily embodied, by the beard that grows on his surface.
From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2024
Without that quality, his other virtues would not have sufficed to attain the same effect.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
It was the more plentiful elements that were usually found first, relatively simple experiments sufficing to confirm their existence.
From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2021
That is what the grant of Article 3 life tenure offers a man: the ability to do precisely what he decides to do, with no amount of political pressure sufficing to change that.
From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2021
Tied up in the respect and ubiquity afforded to these men is the mononym, or a single word sufficing for a person’s whole name.
From Slate ● Oct. 24, 2020
Their literary wars are more like the battles of boys in the woods, waged wholly in imaginary terms, with cries of “I got you!” sufficing to declare victory.
From Slate ● May 28, 2015
What can this signify but that the service or satisfaction we expect from the novelty falls short of sufficing to convince us?
From Creative Intelligence Essays in the Pragmatic Attitude by Boyd H. Bode
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
