diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
--- configure.ac
+++ configure.ac
@@ -1429,8 +1429,25 @@
   AC_MSG_ERROR([to build Octave, you must have the PCRE or PCRE2 library and header files installed])
 fi
 
 ### Check for Qhull library.
+AC_ARG_WITH([qhull_r-pkg-config],
+  [AS_HELP_STRING([--with-qhull_r-pkg-config=LIB],
+    [search the qhull library with pkg-config (options: qhull_r (default) or qhullstatic_r)])
+dnl Second help string must not be indented for correct alignment
+AS_HELP_STRING([--without-qhull_r-pkg-config], [don't search qhull_r library with pkg-config])],
+  [case $withval in
+     yes | "")
+       qhull_pc_name="qhull_r"
+     ;;
+     no)
+       qhull_pc_name=""
+     ;;
+     *)
+       qhull_pc_name="$withval"
+     ;;
+   esac],
+  [qhull_pc_name="qhull_r"])
 
 QHULL_CPPFLAGS=
 QHULL_LDFLAGS=
 QHULL_LIBS=
@@ -1444,9 +1461,10 @@
     [AC_DEFINE(HAVE_QHULL, 1, [Define to 1 if Qhull is available.])
      QHULL_CPPFLAGS="$QHULL_R_CPPFLAGS"
      QHULL_LDFLAGS="$QHULL_R_LDFLAGS"
      QHULL_LIBS="$QHULL_R_LIBS"],
-    [warn_qhull_r="Qhull library found, but does not seem to work properly.  This will result in loss of functionality for some geometry functions.  Please try recompiling the library with -fno-strict-aliasing."])])
+    [warn_qhull_r="Qhull library found, but does not seem to work properly.  This will result in loss of functionality for some geometry functions.  Please try recompiling the library with -fno-strict-aliasing."])],
+    [$qhull_pc_name])
 AC_SUBST(QHULL_CPPFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(QHULL_LDFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(QHULL_LIBS)