disqualify

verb

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dis·qual·i·fy | \ (ˌ)dis-ˈkwä-lə-ˌfī

disqualified; disqualifying; disqualifies

Definition of disqualify

transitive verb

1 : to deprive of the required qualities, properties, or conditions : make unfit

2 : to deprive of a power, right, or privilege

3 : to make ineligible for a prize or for further competition because of violations of the rules

Examples of disqualify in a Sentence

His poor eyesight disqualified him from becoming a pilot.

Recent Examples on the Web But with a slight majority of lawmakers, Gantz got the first shot at building a coalition and appeared poised to move forward with legislation that would have disqualified the indicted Netanyahu from serving as prime minister in the future. — Aron Heller, BostonGlobe.com, "Israeli PM and rival look to finalize emergency unity deal," 15 Apr. 2020 However, what really happened was Rojas cut himself with a razor blade snuck onto the pitch, but video footage uncovered the hoax, and Chile were eliminated from Italia 90 and disqualified from the 1994 World Cup. — SI.com, "6 Things Liverpool Can Do to Try to Get Thrown Out of the Carabao Cup," 4 Oct. 2019 Furloughed Alabamians will be disqualified from receiving unemployment benefits if they are called back to work and refuse, the state Labor Department warned Thursday. — Howard Koplowitz | Hkoplowitz@al.com, al, "Furloughed Alabamians disqualified from unemployment if they refuse to go back to work," 23 Apr. 2020 In 2016, the Chinese legislature’s standing committee decreed that independence activists elected to Hong Kong’s Legislative Council must be disqualified. — Brian Wong, Time, "Hong Kong's Peaceful Elections Have Created a Chance for Dialogue That All Parties Must Take," 25 Nov. 2019 Front-line supporters of the current movement are angry that they were disqualified. — The Economist, "The voice of Hong Kong’s revolution speaks," 30 July 2019 All of this is no longer disqualifying in a Democratic primary because the party took a sharp left turn during the Obama years and has kept driving. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Bernie Sanders Makes His Charge," 7 Feb. 2020 Beltran’s impulse to lie about his role — in a text message to The New York Post after the scheme was reported in The Athletic — was not in itself disqualifying. — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, "Carlos Beltran Lost His Best Asset: Credibility," 16 Jan. 2020 Each company had to have an average of 2.0 or higher in each section or it would be disqualified. — Heather Knight, SFChronicle.com, "SF wants startups to behave, so why did it reject the ‘nice guy’ of e-scooters?," 13 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'disqualify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.