qualify

ns To meet the conditions or expectatioof something or someone is to qualify. There are certain conditions, standards, needs, abilities, experience, or education necessary when determining when a person is qualified or eligible. You can use this word as an adjective or as a verb:

• He is qualified for the position.
• His experience qualifies him for the position.
• The runners who qualified to run in the event were all very competitive.
• What qualifies her to be the mayor of the city?
• Our company needs a qualified technician to fix the machines that break down.

A surgeon must be very qualified to do surgery on a patient.

Another, more difficult use for this word is when it means to limit the effect of something said:

• The governor was quick to qualify his remarks on the need for higher taxes.
• I need to qualify something that I said in order to eliminate any confusion there may be.

The word "qualification" is a noun:

• He has many qualifications that are suitable for this position.
• What kind of qualifications does she have for the job?
• There are certain qualifications that you must meet to receive help from the government.
• Her qualifications are impressive.

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This page was first published on December 18, 2012. It was updated on October 16, 2015.