code review
compound.compound. a process where one or more people check a programmer's work to find mistakes and improve the quality. It helps teams catch bugs before the software is finished.
compound. a systematic examination of computer source code by someone other than the original author. Intended to identify bugs, ensure adherence to coding standards, and facilitate knowledge sharing within a development team.
I need to wait for a code review before I can finish my task.
The senior developer spent the afternoon performing a code review to ensure the new security features were implemented correctly.
Rigorous code review serves not only as a quality assurance mechanism but also as a collaborative pedagogical tool, allowing junior engineers to receive direct feedback from more experienced peers.
A compound formed from the noun code, referring to programmatic instructions, and the noun review, derived from the Middle French revoir. The term emerged as a formalised practice within software engineering to describe the systematic examination of source material.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Often used as a countable noun for a specific session, or uncountable when referring to the general practice.
Last updated July 22, 2026