suffice

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Canada, US, UK/səˈfaɪs/UK/səˈfʌɪs/Canada/ˈsʌ.fɪs/obsolete/səˈfaɪz/

verb

To be enough or sufficient; to meet the need (of anything); to be adequate; to be good enough.

“For this plum cake, two eggs should suffice.”

Similar
workdoanswerserve
OriginMiddle English suffisen ← Middle French souffire ← Latin sufficiō →
Less commonScrabble 15
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Meanings

verbsuffice (third-person singular simple present suffices, present participle sufficing, simple past and past participle sufficed)

present singular third person suffices · participle present sufficing · participle past sufficed · past sufficed

  1. intransitiveTo be enough or sufficient; to meet the need (of anything); to be adequate; to be good enough.

    For this plum cake, two eggs should suffice.

    1 more example

    To recount almighty works, / What words or tongue of seraph can suffice?

    1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC

    Synonyms: work

  2. transitiveTo satisfy; to content; to be equal to the wants or demands of.

    A joint of lamb sufficed even his enormous appetite.

    1 more example

    Lord Brougham's salary would have sufficed more than ninety Prussian judges.

    1838, The Church of England quarterly review, page 203
  3. archaicTo furnish; to supply adequately.

    During the festival, the temple suffices food to the beggars.

    1 more example

    The king sufficed his army with food and weapons before the great battle.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo be enough or sufficient; to meet the need (of anything); to be adequate; to be good enough.

Similar
work
Similar
do

More synonyms by meaning

verbbe sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity

Similar
doanswerserve
Broader
satisfyfulfillfulfil
Also see
answerdosatisfyserve

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinsufficiō“supply, be adequate”
  2. Middle Frenchsouffire
  3. Middle Englishsuffisen
  4. Englishsuffice

From Middle English suffisen, from Middle French souffire, from Latin sufficiō (“supply, be adequate”), from sub (“under”) + faciō (“do, make”). Cognate with French suffire.

More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ἀρκέω
  • ἀρκέω (arkéō)be enough, sufficient, adequate
Arabic كَفَى
  • كَفَى (kafā)be enough, sufficient, adequate
Bulgarian стигам, достатъчен съм
  • стигам (stigam)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • достатъчен съм (dostatăčen săm)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • задоволявам (zadovoljavam)satisfy
Catalan bastar
  • bastarbe enough, sufficient, adequate
Chinese Mandarin 足夠 /足够, 夠 /够
  • 足夠 /足够 (zúgòu)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • 夠 /够 (gòu)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • 使滿足 /使满足 (shǐ mǎnzú)be enough, sufficient, adequate
Czech stačit
  • stačitbe enough, sufficient, adequate
Danish holde, være tilstrækkelig
  • holdebe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • være tilstrækkeligbe enough, sufficient, adequate
Dutch genoeg zijn, volstaan
  • genoeg zijnbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • volstaanbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • voldoenbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • toereikenbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • voldoen (aan)satisfy
  • voorzienfurnish
Esperanto sufiĉi
  • sufiĉibe enough, sufficient, adequate
Finnish riittää, kelvata
  • riittääbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • kelvatabe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • menetelläbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • piisatabe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • tyydyttääsatisfy
  • riittääsatisfy
  • riittääfurnish
French suffire
  • suffirebe enough, sufficient, adequate
German ausreichen, genügen
  • ausreichenbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • genügenbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • genug seinbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • reichenbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • zufriedenstellensatisfy
  • befriedigensatisfy
  • ausstattenfurnish
Greek φτάνω, αρκώ
  • φτάνω (ftáno)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • αρκώ (arkó)be enough, sufficient, adequate
Hindi काफ़ी होना, पूरा पड़ना
  • काफ़ी होना (kāfī honā)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • पूरा पड़ना (pūrā paṛnā)be enough, sufficient, adequate
Hungarian elég, elegendő
  • elégbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • elegendőbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • elmegybe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • megfelelbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • jóbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • megteszibe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • kielégítsatisfy
  • ellátfurnish
Italian bastare, essere sufficiente
  • bastarebe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • essere sufficientebe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • soddisfaresatisfy
  • fornirefurnish
Japanese 足りる, 足る
  • 足りる (tariru)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • 足る (taru)be enough, sufficient, adequate
Korean 충분하다
  • 충분하다 (chungbunhada)be enough, sufficient, adequate
Latin sufficiō
  • sufficiōbe enough, sufficient, adequate
Norwegian rekke
  • rekkebe enough, sufficient, adequate
Norwegian Bokmål holde
  • holdebe enough, sufficient, adequate
Persian کفایت کردن
  • کفایت کردن (kefâyat kardan)be enough, sufficient, adequate
Polish wystarczać, wystarczyć
  • wystarczaćbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • wystarczyćbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • zadowalaćsatisfy
  • zadowolićsatisfy
  • wystarczaćsatisfy
  • wystarczyćsatisfy
  • meblowaćfurnish
  • umeblowaćfurnish
  • zaopatrywaćfurnish
  • zaopatrzyćfurnish
Portuguese ser suficiente, atender
  • ser suficientebe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • atenderbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • satisfazerbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • bastarbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • chegarbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • servirbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • satisfazersatisfy
  • servirsatisfy
  • suplementarfurnish
Romanian ajunge
  • ajungebe enough, sufficient, adequate
Russian хвата́ть, хвати́ть
  • хвата́ть (xvatátʹ)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • хвати́ть (xvatítʹ)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • быть доста́точным (bytʹ dostátočnym)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • удовлетворя́ть (udovletvorjátʹ)satisfy
  • удовлетвори́ть (udovletvorítʹ)satisfy
Scottish Gaelic foghain
  • foghainbe enough, sufficient, adequate
Slovak stačiť
  • stačiťbe enough, sufficient, adequate
Spanish bastar, ser suficiente
  • bastarbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • ser suficientebe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • alcanzarbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • abastarbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • pasar piolabe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • bastantearbe enough, sufficient, adequate
Swahili -tosha
  • -toshabe enough, sufficient, adequate
Swedish räcka, förslå
  • räckabe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • förslåbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • vara tillräckligbe enough, sufficient, adequate
Tamil போது, போரு
  • போது (pōtu)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • போரு (pōru)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • பற்று (paṟṟu)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • காண் (kāṇ)be enough, sufficient, adequate
Ukrainian вистача́ти, ви́стачити
  • вистача́ти (vystačáty)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • ви́стачити (výstačyty)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • става́ти (staváty)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • ста́ти (státy)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • вистава́ти (vystaváty)be enough, sufficient, adequate
  • ви́стати (výstaty)be enough, sufficient, adequate
Vietnamese đủ, là đủ
  • đủbe enough, sufficient, adequate
  • là đủbe enough, sufficient, adequate

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with suffice

thispriceadvicenicedeviceChrisiceviceswisstwicekissnycmiceprecisedisspiceLuisdicesacrificecisslicevisblissconcise
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

suffice. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/suffice

MLA

“suffice.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/suffice. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “suffice,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/suffice.

Source: suffice on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.