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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

But over the last 12 months, inflation has nearly kept pace with hourly wage gains — and that understates the extent of the problem because debt service costs are not included in the consumer price index. — ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026 The choice of index moves money every year through Social Security’s annual cost-of-living adjustment, which follows a version of the consumer price index, while tax brackets follow another. — Brandy Hadley, Fortune, 31 July 2026 Economists expect a resurgence of oil prices to put upward pressure on the consumer price index. — Alex Harring,sarah Min, CNBC, 21 July 2026 Shelter costs make up about a third of the consumer price index. — Anisha Steephen, Time, 21 July 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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Browse Nearby Words

consumerism

consumer price index

consumer sovereignty

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Consumer price index.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consumer%20price%20index. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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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

consumer price index

noun

Examples of consumer price index in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Legal Definition

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