price index

noun

: an index number expressing the level of a group of commodity prices relative to the level of the prices of the same commodities during an arbitrarily chosen base period and used to indicate changes in the level of prices from one period to another

Examples of price index in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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This week, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation metric, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, along with the final US first-quarter GDP reading, will also be released. CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026 Yet the Fed pays more attention to a separate gauge, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, which is running hotter than the CPI. Christopher Rugaber, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026 In short, the new data shows national home-price indexes are being pulled upward by a narrow slice of the market, and potentially overstating the broad health of the housing market. Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for price index

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of price index was in 1886

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Cite this Entry

“Price index.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/price%20index. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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