Meaning & use
suit to
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Meanings
phrasetransitive
To make something appropriate or suitable for a particular purpose or person.
Grammar: Takes an object: suit something to something. Often used in the passive: be suited to.
Patterns
- suit something to something
- be suited to something
The teacher tried to suit the lesson to the students' level.
The design was suited to the needs of the elderly.
You can suit the music to the mood of the party.
phraseintransitive
To match or fit something well; to be appropriate for.
Grammar: No object; often followed by 'to': The color suits to the room.
Patterns
- suit to something
That hat really suits to your dress.
The new policy does not suit to the current situation.
Common combinations
- suit something to someone's needs
- We can suit the program to your specific needs.
- be suited to a purpose
- This tool is well suited to the purpose.
- suit the action to the word
- He always suits the action to the word.
- suit to a T
- The new arrangement suits to a T.
Synonyms and how they differ
- adapt
- Adapt means to change something to make it suitable; suit to often means to make something match or fit a particular need or person.
- tailor
- Tailor means to make something fit a particular purpose or person, often by customizing; suit to is similar but less common.
- fit
- Fit means to be the right size or shape; suit to is more about appropriateness or matching a need.
Commonly confused: suit to or suit?
suit to vs suit
As a verb, 'suit' means to be convenient or look good on someone (That dress suits you). 'Suit to' is a phrasal verb meaning to make appropriate for something.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The phrasal verb 'suit to' takes the pattern 'suit something to something', so 'suited the dress to the party' is correct. The other options use wrong prepositions or omit the preposition.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “suit to”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.