purchasing power
Americannoun
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Also called buying power. the ability to purchase goods and services.
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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.
Etymology
Origin of purchasing power
First recorded in 1815–25
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And these numbers don’t include any further erosion to their purchasing power that’s happened this month.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
Job losses and falling purchasing power have added to industry's woes by depressing consumer spending.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
But it’s the liquidity events that have swelled purchasing power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
If inflation is high, then the purchasing power of fixed payments is diluted.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Their increased purchasing power afforded them summer vacations to the beach or the mountains.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.