purchasing power

American  

noun

1. Also called buying power. the ability to purchase goods and services.

2. the value of money in terms of what it can buy at a specified time compared to what it could buy at some period established as a base.

   the purchasing power of the dollar.

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Etymology

Origin of purchasing power

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

purchasing power

Meanwhile, consumer-facing companies have been squeezed as higher borrowing costs and sticky inflation erode household purchasing power.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

And these numbers don’t include any further erosion to their purchasing power that’s happened this month.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

Per capita gross domestic product has risen 367% in real purchasing power since 1947.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

While it can strengthen the competitiveness of Japanese exporters, "the downside -- declining purchasing power weighing on consumption and investment -- is not sufficiently understood", warned Nakao.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

All of my research on Muslim purchasing power indicated that if we created a product that appealed to and satisfied the needs of Muslim consumers, the company would be successful.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad