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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This tracker is updated monthly using consumer price index data from BLS. Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026 Consumers saw prices for fresh tomatoes spike about 15% in the month of March alone, following a 6% increase in February, according to the consumer price index, an inflation barometer. Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026 Inflation surged nearly a full 1% in a month, according to the latest consumer price index released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2026 The consumer price index for March will be released Friday. Nancy Cook, Bloomberg, 7 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 26 Apr. 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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