quango
Americannoun
-
quangos
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
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:
It heard that the quango was "too bureaucratic" and had a narrow interpretation of the opportunities in its remit.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2025
Government officials have been facing questions at a Stormont committee over a failure to properly control a quango which collapsed with debts of £1.5m.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2015
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
The quango is already responsible for taxpayer holdings in such businesses as Royal Mail, Channel 4, Eurostar and the Royal Mint.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 9, 2013
Several, including the SNP, have suggested cutting the number of "quangos" - arm's length public bodies.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
But there has also been talk of cutbacks, with many parties promising to reduce the number of "quangos" and rein in the size of the public sector.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
However, in the short term it said the package would be funded by a 7.5% reduction in the budgets of unprotected quangos, which it said would save £2.5bn a year in 2029/30.
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2026
Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden said: "This overhaul will mean there are stronger rules, fewer quangos and clearer lines of accountability."
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2025
Mr O'Connell said the TPA backed the Labour government's review of quangos, and urged more focus on scrapping unnecessary functions and bringing delivery of significant services back under political control.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2025
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.
