consumer price index

noun

: an index measuring the change in the cost of typical wage-earner purchases of goods and services expressed as a percentage of the cost of these same goods and services in some base period

called also cost-of-living index

Examples of consumer price index in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Wednesday’s consumer price index report also came in above forecast. —Pia Singh,sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 14 Feb. 2025

Back-to-back days last week brought negative news on inflation as the consumer price index and wholesale prices both rose well above expectations, another reminder that the Fed’s fight to lower the rate of price increases is not over. —Austin Denean, Baltimore Sun, 14 Feb. 2025

Its consumer price index rose 3% in January from a year ago, up from a 2.9% year-over-year increase in December. —Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2025

The consumer price index increased 3% in January from a year ago, Wednesday's report from the Labor Department showed, up from 2.9% the previous month. —Christopher Rugaber The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 13 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

consumer price index

noun

consumer price in·​dex

: an index measuring the change in the cost of typical wage-earner purchases of goods and services in some base period

called also cost-of-living index