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quango

American  
[kwang-goh] / ˈkwæŋ goʊ /
Also QUANGO

noun

plural

quangos

  1. (especially in the United Kingdom) a semipublic advisory and administrative body supported by the government and having most of its members appointed by the government.

quango British  
/ ˈkwæŋɡəʊ /

noun

  1. a semipublic government-financed administrative body whose members are appointed by the government

"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 quango

First recorded in 1975–80; qu(asi)-a(utonomous) n(on-)g(overnmental) o(rganization) or qu(asi)-a(utonomous) n(ational) g(overnmental) o(rganization)

Vocabulary lists containing quango

Scrabble: Words that Begin with Q

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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.

In Northstowe, the housing quango Homes England is partnering with the private sector.

From BBC • Sep. 25, 2024

Mr Cridland's quango Transport for the North is due to publish its first report soon.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2016

In 1981, a quango, the London Docklands Development Corporation, was set up to shape its future.

From The Guardian • Jun. 18, 2015

The deal between government and the Canal and River Trust is “astonishingly far sighted,” says Simon Thurley, the head of English Heritage, a quango that is undergoing its own separation from Whitehall.

From Economist • Dec. 17, 2014

However, early plans to involve the Shareholder Executive investment quango in a rescue of UK Coal were ultimately ditched.

From The Guardian • Jul. 9, 2013

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.