core inflation

noun

economics
: a measure of inflation that excludes items having volatile prices (such as fuel and food) from the price index being used
The Federal Reserve's past emphasis on core inflation, which strips food and energy from the price indexes in order to gauge the underlying trend of prices, has always confused both Wall Street and Main Street.—James C. Cooper
compare headline inflation

Examples of core inflation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Stocks eked out a weekly gain on Friday, as traders weighed fresh in-line core inflation reading and blockbuster earnings report from Nvidia against persistent tensions in the Middle East. — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026 But core inflation, which excludes food and energy costs, was unchanged in the month, a worrying sign of how sticky higher prices may be outside of energy prices themselves. — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 14 July 2026 But Thursday’s data suggested a broader problem across categories, with core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, also ticking up last month. — Natasha Bracken, semafor.com, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for core inflation

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of core inflation was in 1979

Rhymes for core inflation

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Browse Nearby Words

Coreidae
core inflation
corelate
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Cite this Entry

“Core inflation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/core%20inflation. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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