suffice
verb /səˈfaɪs/
/səˈfaɪs/
[intransitive] (formal) not used in the progressive tensesVerb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they suffice | /səˈfaɪs/ /səˈfaɪs/ |
| he / she / it suffices | /səˈfaɪsɪz/ /səˈfaɪsɪz/ |
| past simple sufficed | /səˈfaɪst/ /səˈfaɪst/ |
| past participle sufficed | /səˈfaɪst/ /səˈfaɪst/ |
| past simple sufficing | /səˈfaɪsɪŋ/ /səˈfaɪsɪŋ/ |
| past participle sufficing | /səˈfaɪsɪŋ/ /səˈfaɪsɪŋ/ |
- to be enough for somebody/something
- Generally a brief note or a phone call will suffice.
- suffice to do something One example will suffice to illustrate the point.
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French suffis-, stem of suffire, from Latin sufficere ‘put under, meet the need of’, from sub- ‘under’ + facere ‘make’.
Idioms
suffice (it) to say (that)…
- used to suggest that although you could say more, what you do say will be enough to explain what you mean
- I won’t go into all the details. Suffice it to say that the whole event was a complete disaster.