suffice

Suffice is a verb meaning to be enough or adequate for a particular purpose, to satisfy a need or requirement. It is used of actions, evidence, measures, or explanations that meet a specified standard.

Etymology: the word derives from Latin sufficere meaning “to be sufficient,” via Old French suffire, and entered English in the late Middle Ages. The sense has remained focused on adequacy rather than abundance.

Usage: suffice is primarily intransitive and does not take a direct object. It commonly appears with a to-infinitive or a prepositional phrase, as in “This should suffice for our purposes” or “The evidence suffices to support the claim.” The idiomatic expressions “it will suffice to say” or “suffice it to say” are frequent in formal or cautious discourse to introduce a summary without details.

Related forms: sufficient (adjective), sufficiency (noun), sufficiently (adverb). The verb differs from satisfy, which implies fulfilling a requirement in a more active or pleasing sense; suffice simply indicates adequacy.

In contemporary use, suffice tends to be formal or literary and is common in legal, academic, or official writing. In casual speech or writing, speakers might prefer phrases such as “will be enough” or “will do” to convey the same idea.