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

That means households’ purchasing power isn’t keeping up with increases in the cost of things like rent, groceries and gasoline.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

In their 2013 study “Golden Dilemma,” they found that over extremely long periods — a century or more — gold does appear to maintain its purchasing power.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026

It should defend the purchasing power of the dollar.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 6, 2026

But wage-earners—in textile manufacturing and railroading, to pick two examples—gained by the steady appreciation in the purchasing power of their hard-earned money.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

“Mass purchasing power makes the big difference. For example, breaded veal cutlets.”

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller