intransitive to become a member of a particular profession after a period of training or study
qualify as:
Andrew qualified as a teacher in 1995.
qualify in:
After qualifying in medicine, he worked for a time at CityHospital.
be qualified to do something:
At the end of the course, you will be qualified to practiselaw.
fully/newly/properly qualified:
a fullyqualifiedskiinstructor
Synonyms and related words
To sit, pass or fail an examination or test
bomb
dip out
fail
1a
transitive to give someone the skills that they need to become a member of a particular profession
qualify someone to do something:
It is the only course in the country that qualifies you to be a tabloidjournalist.
Synonyms and related words
To teach someone something
teach
train
educate
2
intransitive to have the right qualities or be in the right situation to be considered as something or to receive or do something
qualify as:
90% of the boatpeopledid not qualify as refugees.
qualify for:
To qualify for Olympic status, a sport must be played in 50 countries and on three continents.
qualify for a discount/benefit/grant (=have the right to receive one):
You may qualify for a studentgrant.
be qualified to do something:
Only people over the age of 18 are qualified to vote.
Synonyms and related words
To be good enough or as good as expected
satisfy
fit in with
suit
2a
transitive to make it possible for someone to be considered as something or to receive or do something
qualify someone for something:
Her income was too high to qualify her for any help with childcareexpenses.
qualify someone to do something:
The fact that his grandparents were Irish qualified him to play in the Irish nationalteam.
Synonyms and related words
To make something possible
permit
allow
let
3
intransitive to reach a particular stage of a competition by competing successfully in an earlier stage
It would be incredible if Brazil failed to qualify.
qualify for:
What are your team’s chances of qualifying for the finals?
a qualifying match/tournament/round/tie (=one that you need to win to go on to the next stage of a competition):
Scotland’s WorldCupqualifyingtie against Malta
Synonyms and related words
To take part in a competition or game
play
race
meet
4
transitive linguisticsa word that qualifies another word gives more information about it. For example, in ‘the dog barked furiously’, the adverb ‘furiously’ qualifies the verb ‘barked’.
Synonyms and related words
The grammatical behaviour of words
agreement
agree with
backshift
5
transitive to add something to a statement in order to change it slightly or state the situations in which it is not true
I welcome the positiveapproach – perhaps I should qualify that by saying ‘the largelypositiveapproach’ – adopted by the government.
Synonyms and related words
Ways of adding extra information
namely
incidentally
furthermore
qualify
verb
US /ˈkwɑləˌfaɪ/
Other entries for this word
pre-qualifyverb
Word Forms
present tense
I/you/we/they
qualify
he/she/it
qualifies
present participle
qualifying
past tense
qualified
past participle
qualified
DEFINITIONS5
have qualities for something
join profession
reach competition stage
change a statement
in linguistics
1
intransitive to have the right qualities or be in the right situation to be considered as something or to receive or do something
be qualified to do something:
Only people over the age of 18 are qualified to vote.
qualify as:
90% of the boatpeopledid not qualify as refugees.
qualify for:
To qualify for Olympic status, a sport must be played in 50 countries and on three continents.
qualify for a discount/benefit/grant (=have the right to receive one):
You may qualify for a studygrant.
Synonyms and related words
To be good enough or as good as expected
satisfy
fit in with
suit
1a
transitive to make it possible for someone to be considered as something or to receive or do something
qualify someone for something:
Her income was too high to qualify her for foodstamps.
qualify someone to do something:
The fact that his grandparents were Irish qualified him to play in the Irish nationalteam.
Synonyms and related words
To make something possible
let
qualify
encourage
2
intransitive to become a member of a particular profession after a period of training or study
fully/newly/properly qualified:
a fullyqualifiedskiinstructor
Synonyms and related words
To sit, pass or fail an examination or test
bomb
dip out
fail
2a
transitive to give someone the skills that they need to become a member of a particular profession
qualify someone to do something:
It is the only course in the country that qualifies you to become a scuba instructor.
Synonyms and related words
To teach someone something
teach
train
educate
3
intransitive to reach a particular stage of a competition by competing successfully in an earlier stage
It would be incredible if Brazil failed to qualify.
qualify for:
What are your team’s chances of qualifying for the finals?
a qualifying game/tournament/round (=one that you need to win to go on to the next stage of a competition):
Mexico’s WorldCupqualifyingmatch against Canada
Synonyms and related words
To take part in a competition or game
play
race
meet
3a
to make it possible for a person or team to go on to the next stage of a competition
qualify someone for something:
Anke Huber defeated Mana Endo of Japan to qualify Germany for the second round of the WorldGroupFedCup.
Synonyms and related words
Commentating, refereeing, and judging sports and competitions
book
call
call
4
transitive to add something to a statement in order to change it slightly or state the situations in which it is not true
I should qualify the diagnosis by saying that your condition may improve with diet alone.
Synonyms and related words
Ways of adding extra information
namely
incidentally
furthermore
5
transitive linguisticsa word that qualifies another word gives more information about it. For example, in “the dog barked furiously,” the adverb “furiously” qualifies the verb “barked.”