From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englisheligibleel‧i‧gi‧ble /ˈelɪdʒəbəl/ ●○○ adjective 1 CANsomeone who is eligible for something is able or allowed to do it, for example because they are the right ageeligible for Students on a part-time course are not eligible for a loan.eligible to do something Over 500,000 18-year-olds will become eligible to vote this year.2 MARRY[only before noun] an eligible man or woman would be good to marry because they are rich, attractive, and not married Stephen was regarded as an eligible bachelor. —eligibility /ˌelɪdʒəˈbɪləti/ noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
eligible• There may be no extra people to serve as controls; the program serves everybody eligible and interested.• The world saw Jack as a rich eligible bachelor, but really he was very shy.• He's America's most eligible bachelor.• The group passes on to the Bank names of members eligible for a loan.• For example, Wilson wanted new recipients to be eligible for aid for only one year, but Democrats wanted two years.• Only Grades 7 to 4 are eligible for performance-related earnings and a London Weighting Allowance of £1750 is payable on top.• His father had suggested several eligible middle class girls to him.• People aged over 16 and receiving higher Attendance Allowance are eligible to apply.• Last month disagreements about who should be eligible to vote brought registration to a halt.• The majority of eligible voters said they would rather not cast ballots, leading to the worst percentage voter turnout since 1924.eligible for• If you're over 65, you're eligible for a discount.eligible bachelor• I have it on good authority, meanwhile, that Manny is an eligible bachelor.• Many would regard him, I think, as an eligible bachelor.From Longman Business Dictionaryeligibleel‧i‧gi‧ble /ˈelədʒəbəl/ adjective allowed to do something or receive somethingeligible forAre you eligible for social security benefits? —eligibility noun [uncountable]Some member countries have raised questions about Turkey’s eligibility to join the European Union.Origin eligible (1400-1500) French Late Latin eligibilis, from Latin eligere; → ELECT1 