QR code

American

[kyoo-ahr kohd] / ˈkyuˈɑr ˌkoʊd /

Trademark.

the brand name for a matrix barcode that is read by photographing it with the camera of a smartphone or other mobile device that is equipped with a 2D barcode reader.

Scan the QR code in our print ads to link to special offers on our website.

QR Code British

noun

a type of bar code that can be read both horizontally and vertically, allowing large amounts of information to be encoded in it

"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 QR code

First recorded in 1990–95; abbreviation of quick-response code

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.

When you sit down, all your people can hit that QR code with their smartphones and load an automated game of “Mafia.”

From Los Angeles Times

They also set up a recruiting station at high-level age-grade rugby events, inviting those with the ancestry and interest to scan a QR code and enter their details.

From BBC

Front and center on my bed on the first day of the cruise: a Royal Beach Club flier with a QR code for booking.

From The Wall Street Journal

Imitators can simply counterfeit QR code labels, for example.

From BBC

The society has been working closely with the state public health department to create a warning sign and fliers with a QR code leading to more information in multiple languages that can be distributed in recreational areas such as parks, nature preserves and hiking trails.

From Los Angeles Times

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