price index

noun

1. an index of the changes in the prices of goods and services, based on the prices of the same goods and services at a period arbitrarily selected as a base, usually expressed as 100.

Word History and Origins

Origin of price index¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Those penalties also would be adjusted each year, depending on changes in the consumer price index.

From Los Angeles Times

Rival lender, the Halifax, will publish its house price index for September in the coming days.

From BBC

Bureau of Labor Statistics’ consumer price index in April for the Los Angeles area was 3.9% — add 5% to that and you have this year’s limit of 8.9% for the county of Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times

The number is still higher than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent, which it defines using a different but related price index.

From New York Times

The Personal Consumption Expenditures price index rose 2.7 percent from a year earlier, the same level as in March.

From New York Times

Related Words

• consumer price index
• retail price index
• wholesale price index