qualify

qualify — verb

1. to complete the education, training, or exams needed for a particular job or pro

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to complete the education, training, or exams needed for a particular job or profession.

Example

Inês qualified as a nurse after three years of study and practical work.

qualify + as + profession

The training program qualifies graduates for entry-level jobs in the finance industry.

transitive: qualify + object + for + role

Common collocations
  • qualify as a [profession]
  • qualify to practice
  • qualify someone for a job
Synonyms
  • certify

    Focuses on the official body granting formal recognition, not the individual's achievement

  • graduate

    Refers specifically to completing a course of study, not necessarily meeting professional standards

  • meet standards

    Phrasal synonym focusing on reaching required benchmarks

Antonyms
  • fail

    Not reaching the required standard

Grammar Patterns

qualify + as + profession

qualify + to-infinitive

qualify + object + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Frequently followed by 'as' when naming the profession achieved ('qualify as a doctor'), or by a 'to'-infinitive when describing the permission gained. Can be used transitively (a course qualifies someone) or intransitively (someone qualifies after training).

Common Mistakes

The course made me qualify as a teacher.
The course qualified me as a teacher.
Use 'qualify' transitively instead of 'make + object + qualify'.
She qualified to become a doctor.' (wordy)
She qualified as a doctor.
Use 'qualify as + profession' directly for job titles.

2. to meet the conditions needed for a particular right, benefit, or opportunity; t

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to meet the conditions needed for a particular right, benefit, or opportunity; to make someone eligible for something.

Example

Families who live in this school district qualify for free after-school care.

qualify for + benefit

Ishaan qualified for a government housing grant because of his low income.

Common collocations
  • qualify for benefits
  • qualify for a grant
  • qualify for a pension
  • qualify someone for coverage
Synonyms
  • be eligible for

    State of meeting conditions; same meaning but stative rather than active

  • entitled to

    Stronger sense of a guaranteed right; often legal

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

qualify + for + benefit/right

qualify + object + for + benefit/right

Usage Note

Commonly takes the preposition 'for' followed by the benefit or right. The subject can be a person, a household, or an organization meeting certain criteria.

Common Mistakes

I qualify the discount because I am a student.
I qualify for the discount because I am a student.
Use 'qualify for' when you meet conditions for a benefit, not a direct object.
They qualified visiting the museum for free.
They qualified for free entry to the museum.
The right or benefit follows 'for', not as a direct object.

3. to perform well enough to enter a contest or advance to a later stage of one.

3.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to perform well enough to enter a contest or advance to a later stage of one.

Example

The Brazilian football team qualified for the World Cup after a 3–1 victory.

qualify for + competition (sports context)

Jin ran his fastest time ever to qualify for the national championships.

Common collocations
  • qualify for the finals
  • qualify for the championship
  • qualify for the next round
Synonyms
  • advance to

    Focuses on moving forward in a competition; slightly more formal

  • make the cut

    Informal; implies passing a selection process

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

qualify + for + competition/event

qualify + object + for + competition/event

Usage Note

Typical in sports, games, and academic contests. The subject is often a team or an athlete, and the object of 'for' is the competition or stage reached.

Common Mistakes

Our team qualified the finals.
Our team qualified for the finals.
'qualify' is intransitive in this sense; use the preposition 'for'.
He qualified to the race.
He qualified for the race.
Use 'for', not 'to', when naming the competition.

4. to add conditions or details to a statement in order to make it less absolute or

4.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to add conditions or details to a statement in order to make it less absolute or extreme.

Example

The scientist qualified her findings by adding that more testing was needed.

qualify + findings + by adding [condition]

Cyrus qualified his earlier remarks when he learned the full truth about the situation.

Common collocations
  • qualify a statement
  • qualify a claim
  • qualify an opinion
  • qualify with conditions
Synonyms
  • modify

    Broader; can mean any kind of change, not just making less absolute

  • temper

    Suggests softening the tone or force; more literary

  • hedge

    Informal; implies deliberately avoiding a firm position

Antonyms
  • assert

    State firmly without conditions

  • affirm

    Declare positively without qualification

Grammar Patterns

qualify + statement/claim/findings

qualify + with + condition

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person with authority or expertise (a scientist, judge, or speaker). The object is typically an abstract noun such as 'statement', 'claim', 'findings', or 'remarks'. Common in academic and formal writing.

Common Mistakes

He qualified that he did not mean it.' (vague)
He qualified his earlier statement by saying he had not seen the full report.
'qualify' needs a concrete statement or claim as the object, not just a general intention.

5. in grammar, to limit or add meaning to another word, making its reference more s

5.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

in grammar, to limit or add meaning to another word, making its reference more specific.

Example

In the phrase “bright red,” the adjective “bright” qualifies the color word.

Adverbs like “quite” or “very” frequently qualify adjectives in English sentences.

adverb qualifies adjective

Common collocations
  • qualify a noun
  • qualify a verb
  • qualify an adjective
Synonyms
  • modify

    Standard grammatical term with the same meaning; more widely used in teaching

  • describe

    Less precise; describing adds attributes but does not necessarily limit

Grammar Patterns

qualify + noun

qualify + adjective

qualify + verb

Usage Note

Most often encountered in grammar instruction. The qualifying word is typically an adjective or adverb that adds specificity to a noun, verb, or adjective.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

While 'qualify' focuses on meeting the standards needed for a role through training or examination, 'certify' means an official body formally states that someone meets those standards. 'Graduate' refers specifically to completing a course of study, not necessarily meeting professional standards. 'Authorize' means giving formal approval for a specific action, often by a person with power. 'License' means granting official permission, usually by a government or regulatory body. For example: 'She qualified as a doctor after passing her exams' focuses on her achievement, while 'The medical board certified her to practice' emphasizes the official recognition by an authority.

certify ↗graduate ↗authorize ↗license ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'qualify' comes from Latin 'qualificare', formed from 'qualis' (of what kind) and 'facere' (to make). It entered Middle French as 'qualifier' and then English in the 1500s. The original meaning was 'to describe by stating a quality,' which later developed into 'to meet the required standard' in the 1600s.