price index

American  

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.

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Etymology

Origin of price index

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

price index

The Fed’s preferred inflation gauge is the personal consumption expenditures price index, which is considered more accurate than the better-known consumer-price index.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

For economists and policymakers, the producer-price index report is noteworthy mostly because some of its underlying figures are used to calculate the Fed’s preferred inflation metric, the price index of personal-consumption expenditures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

The producer price index dropped 0.3% in June, the government said Wednesday, following a similar decline in the prices consumers pay.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

Focus Tuesday is on U.S. consumer price index data ahead of Kevin Warsh’s appearance before Congress.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Fifty thousand pounds in modern money, using a retail price index, but £725,000 in modern money using an average wage multiplier.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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