eligible
noun
plural eligibles
: a person or thing that is qualified or permitted to do or be something : one that is eligible for something
As with the College of Cardinals and the papacy, where every cardinal, in theory, is eligible to be Pope but the number of real eligibles is substantially smaller, so with the American Presidency.—
Stephen R. Graubard
Stephen R. Graubard… when she entered life, beautiful, accomplished, and an heiress, she had, of course, all the eligibles … of the other sex sighing at her feet …—Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher StoweExamples of eligible in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Those three also-eligibles — Resist, Nycon, and Lovely Grey — have all made it to the race this year, following three scratches since the draw on Saturday.
—Teresa Genaro, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
More than half the nation’s public preschool enrollment gain — some 25,000 students — came from California, which this school year made every 4-year-old eligible for its transitional kindergarten program.
—Moriah Balingit, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Payton put four eligibles on the right side of the formation -- three receivers plus running back Tyler Badie.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 21 Oct. 2025
There are two potential 2025 draft eligibles in this projection: Victor Eklund, who has been highly productive in the Swedish Allsvenskan, and Anton Frondell, who came into the season looking like a potential top-five pick but has been quieter to begin the year.
—Scott Wheeler, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for eligible
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Teresa Genaro, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
More than half the nation’s public preschool enrollment gain — some 25,000 students — came from California, which this school year made every 4-year-old eligible for its transitional kindergarten program.
—Moriah Balingit, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Payton put four eligibles on the right side of the formation -- three receivers plus running back Tyler Badie.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 21 Oct. 2025
There are two potential 2025 draft eligibles in this projection: Victor Eklund, who has been highly productive in the Swedish Allsvenskan, and Anton Frondell, who came into the season looking like a potential top-five pick but has been quieter to begin the year.
—Scott Wheeler, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for eligible
Cite this Entry
“Eligible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eligible. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
eligible
adjective
el·i·gi·ble
ˈel-ə-jə-bəl 
: qualified to be chosen or to participate
eligible to vote
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
