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

Allison Joyce | Bloomberg | Getty Images Prediction market traders expect July’s consumer price index will be relatively tame, coming in below the Dow Jones consensus forecast. — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026

Notably, July consumer price index (CPI) data will be released on Wednesday morning. — Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026

The most closely watched will be the consumer price index, or CPI, which measures costs for consumers. — ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026

Officials explained those would be tied to the consumer price index for all urban consumers. — Marni Pyke, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026

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