qualify
Americanverb (used with object)
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to provide with proper or necessary skills, knowledge, credentials, etc.; make competent.
to qualify oneself for a job.
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to modify or limit in some way; make less strong or positive.
to qualify an endorsement.
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Grammar. to modify.
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to make less violent, severe, or unpleasant; moderate; mitigate.
- Synonyms:
- diminish, reduce, temper, soften, ameliorate
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to attribute some quality or qualities to; characterize, call, or name.
She cannot qualify his attitude as either rational or irrational.
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to modify or alter the flavor or strength of.
He qualified his coffee with a few drops of brandy.
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Law. to certify as legally competent.
verb (used without object)
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to be fitted or competent for something.
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to get authority, license, power, etc., as by fulfilling required conditions, taking an oath, etc.
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Sports. to demonstrate the required ability in an initial or preliminary contest.
He qualified in the trials.
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to fire a rifle or pistol on a target range for a score high enough to achieve a rating of marksman, sharpshooter, or expert.
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Military. to pass a practical test in gunnery.
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Law. to perform the actions necessary to acquire legal power or capacity.
By filing a bond and taking an oath he qualified as executor.
verb
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to provide or be provided with the abilities or attributes necessary for a task, office, duty, etc
his degree qualifies him for the job
he qualifies for the job, but would he do it well?
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(tr) to make less strong, harsh, or violent; moderate or restrict
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(tr) to modify or change the strength or flavour of
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(tr) grammar another word for modify
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(tr) to attribute a quality to; characterize
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(intr) to progress to the final stages of a competition, as by winning preliminary contests
Synonym Usage
See modify.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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misqualifyverb
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overqualifyverb
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prequalifyverb
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requalifyverb
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superqualifyverb
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nonqualifyingadjective
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qualifiableadjective
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qualificatoryadjective
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unqualifyingadjective
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unrequalifiedadjective
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qualifyinglyadverb
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unqualifyinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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qualifysimple
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qualifiessimple
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have qualifiedperfect
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has qualifiedperfect
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am qualifyingprogressive
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are qualifyingprogressive
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is qualifyingprogressive
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have been qualifyingperfect progressive
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has been qualifyingperfect progressive
Past
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qualifiedsimple
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had qualifiedperfect
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was qualifyingprogressive
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were qualifyingprogressive
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had been qualifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of qualify
First recorded in 1525–35; from Medieval Latin quālificāre, from Latin quāl(is) “of what sort” + -ificāre -ify
Explanation
Make sure you know the context when using the word qualify. In one sense, it means to be right for, to measure up. In another sense, though, qualify means to change something slightly, to limit it or add a condition to it. If you want to qualify for your driver's license, remember not to drive through that final stop sign without stopping. I guarantee you that if you don't stop you will not qualify. You don't just get your Eagle Badge. You have to qualify for it—there's a lot to do before you get it. The word might be used in its other sense like this: If you plan to get married, keep your vows simple: say "I do." Don't qualify them by saying something like "I do...except sometimes, when I don't." If you have to qualify your wedding vows, don't get married.
Vocabulary lists containing qualify
40 SAT words Beginning with "Q"
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Scrabble: Words that Begin with Q
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List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi previously experienced the need for success after his under-20 side failed to qualify for the African Nations Cup in 2023.
From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026
Very few of this year’s nominations qualify as unpredictable.
From Salon • Jul. 9, 2026
But it can take two years for them to qualify for Social Security disability, and once they do, the $1,000 a month “is completely deficient in the face of rising rents.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026
The few athletes who did qualify were forced to compete under the “neutral” designation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026
“If you like that flick and you liked Shane, you probably qualify to be a real movie freak, like me.”
From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
