sufficesuf‧fice /səˈfaɪs/ ●○○ verb [intransitive] 
A light lunch will suffice.suffice for A few brief observations will suffice for present purposes.suffice to do something A few more statistics will suffice to show the trends of the time.2suffice (it) to say (that) used to say that the statement that follows is enough to explain what you mean, even though you could say more: Suffice it to say that they’re having marital problems.
WORD ORIGINsuffice
Origin:
1300-1400 Old French suffire, from Latin sufficere ‘to put under, suffice’, from sub- ( ➔ SUB-) + facere ‘to make, do’VERB TABLE
suffice
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | suffice |
| he, she, it | suffices | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | sufficed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have sufficed |
| he, she, it | has sufficed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had sufficed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will suffice |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have sufficed |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A doctor's certificate will suffice as a form of permission.
- A one-page letter should suffice.
- These few examples should suffice to illustrate how social attitudes are changing.
- Bases in Britain alone might suffice to service the Strategic Air Command at its current strength.
- Doubts then began to arise as to whether a single generalization on wages would suffice.
- For large bed filter plates it has been found that just about any ridged or semi ridged plastic will suffice.
- Here the mention of but one example will suffice.
- Interestingly, several of the starter dishes here easily can suffice as small entrees.
- No, sir, once again the mere contemplation of paradox would suffice.
- One towel suffices for a week.
- There are two alternative forms of conduct, and either of two forms of intent will suffice.
Longman Language Activatorwhen there is enough of something you need
· Here's $20. Is that enough?· Have you got enough drivers? I can help if you need me.enough something to do something · I make enough money to pay the bills and keep food on the table.enough (something) for something · Will there be enough room for Joey in the car?· This recipe makes enough for eight people.more than enough (=more than you need) · I've given you more than enough time to make up your mind.I've had enough (=say this when you have eaten enough food) · "Would you like some more pizza?" "No thanks, I've had enough."
formal enough: · It was decided that there was sufficient evidence to convict Marconi.sufficient for: · The money should be sufficient for one month's travel.
formal enough in amount, and good enough in quality: · None of his workers received adequate safety training.adequate for: · The heating system would only be adequate for a much smaller house.
spoken use this to say that a particular number or amount will be enough for what you need: · "I can't find any more envelopes." "That's OK - these should do."will do: · I can lend you some money -- will £10 do?something should do for something/something ought to do for something: · Ten bottles of wine should do for the party.That should do it/That ought to do it/That'll do it: · Take a few more for the kids. There, that should do it.something should do/ought to do/will do somebody: · Here's £20 for the shopping -- that should do you.
formal to be enough: will/would suffice: · A doctor's certificate will suffice as a form of permission. should suffice to do something (=will probably be enough to do it): · These few examples should suffice to illustrate how social attitudes are changing.
if an amount of money covers the cost of something, it is enough to pay for it: · $29.90 a month covers the cost of all your insurance.· Western aid to Third World countries barely covers the interest on their loans.
if an amount of food or money lasts for a period of time, there is enough of it for that period: last until: · I still have $100, but that won't last until the end of the vacation.last (somebody) 2 years/3 days etc: · A can of baby formula costing $6.00 will last you three to four days.
if an amount of something meets someone's needs , there is as much of it as that person needs - use this especially in formal or official contexts: · In many parts of the world, there is not enough food to meet everyone's needs.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY A light lunch will suffice.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN
A light lunch will suffice.· A few examples will suffice to illustrate the point.· A single obvious example should suffice to make the point.· Here the mention of but one example will suffice.· Two examples will suffice to illustrate this.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
- Suffice it to say that prayer is an important activity in the Synagogue.
- For the moment, suffice it to say that I take a skeptical view of the structural analyses offered.
- It suffices to say we launched a host of programs to rectify the situation.
WORD FAMILYnounsufficiencyadjectivesufficient ≠ insufficientverbsufficeadverbsufficiently ≠ insufficiently
1formal to be enough: A light lunch will suffice.suffice for A few brief observations will suffice for present purposes.suffice to do something A few more statistics will suffice to show the trends of the time.2suffice (it) to say (that) used to say that the statement that follows is enough to explain what you mean, even though you could say more: Suffice it to say that they’re having marital problems.