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qualify

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verb British English pronunciation: qualify /ˈkwɒlɪfaɪ/ 
Word Forms
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present tense
I/you/we/theyqualify
he/she/itqualifies
present participlequalifying
past tensequalified
past participlequalified
 
  1. 1
    [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 City Hospital.

    be qualified to do something:

    At the end of the course, you will be qualified to practise law.

    fully/newly/properly qualified:

    a fully qualified ski instructor

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  qualifyThesaurus entry for this meaning of qualify
    1. a.
      [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 tabloid journalist.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  qualifyThesaurus entry for this meaning of qualify
  2. 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 boat people did 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 student grant.

    be qualified to do something:

    Only people over the age of 18 are qualified to vote.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  qualifyThesaurus entry for this meaning of qualify
    1. a.
      [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 child care expenses.

      qualify someone to do something:

      The fact that his grandparents were Irish qualified him to play in the Irish national team.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  qualifyThesaurus entry for this meaning of qualify
  3. 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 World Cup qualifying tie against Malta

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  qualifyThesaurus entry for this meaning of qualify
  5. 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 positive approach – perhaps I should qualify that by saying ‘the largely positive approach’ – adopted by the government.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  qualifyThesaurus entry for this meaning of qualify

This is the British English definition of qualify. View American English definition of qualify.

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