n. the consumer price index, an index of the cost of all goods and services to a typical consumer. The increase of this value each year is one measure of monetary inflation. [ acronym ]
Syn. -- consumer price index, cost-of-living index. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

☞ For a table of values from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the CPI over time, see CPI-U from 1913 to 1998. [ PJC ]