Disqualify Someone From Doing vs. Disqualify Someone To Do
Oxford directly documents disqualify + person + from + -ing. It also records related from + noun and for + noun patterns, but those do not establish person + to-infinitive as an equivalent complement.
Use “disqualify someone from doing something” for the documented construction; do not use “disqualify someone to do” as its equivalent.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| a rule, condition, or decision makes someone ineligible to perform an activity | disqualify someone from doing something | Use from + -ing for the documented action complement. |
| someone is made ineligible for a role, prize, or category | disqualify someone from / for + noun as the specific sense requires | Keep noun-complement patterns separate from the action complement. |
| to + verb is proposed after the object as an equivalent action complement | do not use disqualify someone to do | Use the documented from + -ing construction for this meaning. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you naming the activity that the person is prevented or made ineligible from doing?
If yes: Use “disqualify someone from doing …”.
If no: If you are naming a noun such as a competition or benefit, use the noun pattern that fits that sense; do not convert the action complement to a to-infinitive.
Caveat: Choose by the documented meaning or construction; a different pattern may be valid in a different sentence structure, region, or register.
Examples
The violation disqualified her from competing in the final.
The prohibited activity follows “from” in -ing form.
The rule may disqualify applicants from receiving the award.
The action complement uses “from receiving.”
A late submission disqualified him from entering the contest.
The sentence names the activity from which he became ineligible.
Further guidance
Boundary
Disqualify can also take from + noun and, in another sense, for + noun; those patterns should not be collapsed into the action complement.
Construction
Oxford records “disqualify somebody from doing something” for stopping somebody from an activity because of a rule breach or unsuitability.
Decision
Use “disqualify someone from doing something” for the documented construction; do not use “disqualify someone to do” as its equivalent.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- disqualify — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford University Press · Oxford learner-dictionary construction evidence for disqualify somebody from doing something