The purpose of a code review in software development is to improve the overall quality of the codebase. It involves systematically examining code changes made by developers to identify bugs, optimize performance, and ensure adherence to coding standards and best practices. Code reviews facilitate knowledge sharing among team members, enhance collaboration, and help catch potential issues early in the development cycle. This process ultimately leads to cleaner, more maintainable code and a better end product by reducing the likelihood of defects and improving team cohesion.