quality control

American

noun

a system for verifying and maintaining a desired level of quality in an existing product or service by careful planning, use of proper equipment, continued inspection, and corrective action as required.

quality control British

noun

control of the relative quality of a manufactured product, usually by statistical sampling techniques

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of quality control

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

quality control

Matt LaFleur said he knew McVay would become an NFL head coach within 10 minutes of McVay interviewing for a quality control job with Washington in 2010.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Elissa and Johnnie believe quality control during the build was lacking and more "stringent legislation" is needed so builders know "they can't build more rubbish homes".

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Chief Executive Kelly Ortberg, who joined Boeing in August 2024 after the Alaska Airlines incident, has emphasized close adherence to quality control and key performance indicators.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

They are especially interested in exploring whether boosting translation efficiency or improving ribosome quality control could restore healthier protein balance in brain cells and potentially slow cognitive decline.

From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026

Today, for instance, I’ve decided to focus on quality control.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023