Sports / B2

dis-KWOL-if-eye/dɪsˈkwɒlɪfaɪ/

To disqualify is to bar someone for breaking a rule: disqualify a candidate; disqualified from. Ban is wider; exclude overlaps in schools. A smartwatch can disqualify a candidate. Noun: disqualification. Do not use it for failing a paper on merit — that is a fail, not a disqualification.

Meaning

To stop someone taking part because they have broken a rule.

Examples

• “A smartwatch can disqualify a candidate on the listening paper.”
• “The club was disqualified from the cup, which is the sport sense.”

Good to know

disqualify someone from. Noun: disqualification. Wider: ban. Exams, sport, public office. Rule-breaking, not low marks. Formal official register.

Near in meaning

ban

Topics

New