English Reference
noun

qualifier

n.
US /ˈkwɑɫəˌfaɪɝ/ UK /kwˈɒlɪfˌaɪə/ qual·i·fi·er UK spelling qualifiers

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate Sport

    a person or team that succeeds in a preliminary test and moves on to the main competition.

    a contestant who meets the necessary criteria or wins a preliminary round to advance to a subsequent stage of a competition.

    Simple

    After winning their last three matches, the team was confirmed as a qualifier for the tournament.

    In context

    The young sprinter emerged as a surprise qualifier for the Olympic finals after shaving two seconds off her personal best.

  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate Sport

    a game or race that you must win to enter a larger competition.

    a preliminary contest or heat used to determine which participants are eligible for the main event.

    Simple

    The national team is playing a World Cup qualifier this Saturday.

    In context

    The atmosphere at the regional qualifier was electric, as only the top two finishers would secure a spot in the national championships.

  3. 03 C1 Advanced AcademicTechnical Grammar

    a word like an adjective or adverb that changes or adds detail to another word.

    a word or phrase, such as an attributive adjective or an adverb, that modifies the meaning of another constituent by adding or limiting attributes.

    Simple

    In the phrase 'very cold water', the word 'very' acts as a qualifier for the adjective 'cold'.

    In context

    The professor noted that the student's thesis relied too heavily on vague qualifiers like 'somewhat' and 'mostly' rather than providing concrete data.

  4. 04 C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    a symbol or keyword in computer code that changes how another part of the code works.

    a keyword or symbol applied to a declaration or code element to modify its properties, such as its visibility or persistence.

    Simple

    The programmer added a 'const' qualifier to the variable to ensure its value could not be changed.

    In context

    Using the 'static' qualifier within the function definition ensures that the variable retains its value between successive calls.

Forres Mechanics went close with their recent effort, but we have found a quicker penalty, awarded to Tanzania in a World Cup qualifier against Madagascar in September 2021.

The Guardian· 19 Aug 2026

The Champions League qualifiers began when the World Cup was at the last-16 stage, with some clubs already knocked out of Europe by the time England were beaten by Argentina in Atlanta.

The Guardian· 17 Aug 2026

From qualify + -er.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated