constant dollars

Cultural  

1. A convention of statistics that measures industrial output and the like over time while controlling for changes owing to inflation. Using constant dollars usually gives a clearer view of how an enterprise is performing over time.

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Example Sentences

Airfares are going up now because of fuel prices, but airfares continue their downward real trend, in constant dollars, that started back in 1980 when the airlines were deregulated.

From Slate • May 5, 2026

It is currently worth $69,000 in constant dollars.

From Barron's • Apr. 19, 2026

Strip out inflation, which Vanguard expects will average between 1.6% and 2.6% a year, and you are looking at very low “real” returns, meaning returns measured in constant dollars.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 3, 2025

CDC's budget for diabetes prevention jumped from $66 million in 2010 to $173 million in 2017—a 123% rise, in constant dollars.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 7, 2019

In constant dollars, the Park Service budget today is $200 million a year less than it was a decade ago.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson