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
abbreviation CPI

called also cost-of-living index

Examples of consumer price index in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Reimbursement rates are adjusted annually based on the consumer price index. Brittney Melton, NPR, 15 May 2026 Critics have dubbed Measure C a forever tax that would be increased each year based on the growth of California per capita income or the Bay Area consumer price index, whichever is greater. Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 14 May 2026 The consumer price index rose at its fastest clip in nearly three years last month, according to federal data released yesterday. Alex Harring, CNBC, 13 May 2026 The study looked at the monthly consumer price index average food price data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics for the past two years. Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for consumer price index

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of consumer price index was in 1945

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Cite this Entry

“Consumer price index.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consumer%20price%20index. Accessed 17 May. 2026.

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

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