qualify

The word “qualify” means to meet the requirements needed for something, such as a job, benefit, or competition stage. In plain terms, to meet requirements for something, to certify someone for a role, or to add limiting conditions to a claim.

“Qualify” is pronounced KWOL-ih-feye (/ˈkwɑ.lɪ.faɪ/ in IPA).

Here is “qualify” used in a sentence: “Do I qualify for a student discount?”

The opposite of “qualify” — its antonyms — are disqualify and unqualify.

“Qualify” is a verb.

The word “qualify” comes from Middle French. Borrowed from Middle French qualifier, built from "quality" plus the verb-forming suffix "-fy.".

“Qualify” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Qualify” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to meet the requirements needed for something, such as a job, benefit, or competition stage.

'Qualify for' means to meet the requirements needed to receive or enter something, as in 'qualify for a loan' or 'qualify for the finals.' 'Qualify as' means to have the credentials to be counted as something, as in 'qualify as a nurse.'

To qualify is to meet the requirements or gain the training needed for a role, while to certify is to formally confirm in writing that a standard has been met. A person qualifies through study and testing, and an authority certifies that they have done so.

'Qualify' is a verb meaning to meet requirements or gain credentials for something. 'Quality' is a noun referring to a characteristic or standard of excellence, so the two are different words and are not interchangeable despite their similar spelling.