cost-push: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
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Quick answer
What does “cost-push” mean?
Inflation caused primarily by increases in the costs of production (e.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Inflation caused primarily by increases in the costs of production (e.g., wages, raw materials).
Refers to economic scenarios where price rises are driven from the supply side rather than by increased demand. It is primarily used as a compound adjective modifying nouns like 'inflation'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or spelling. Usage is identical in economic contexts.
Connotations
Technical, negative (associated with economic instability).
Frequency
Equally low frequency in both varieties, confined to economics/business journalism and academia.
Grammar
How to Use “cost-push” in a Sentence
[cost-push] + NOUN (e.g., inflation, pressure)attributive adjective onlyVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “cost-push” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- The Bank is concerned about persistent cost-push pressures in the manufacturing sector.
American English
- Economists blamed the latest price spike on strong cost-push factors like energy.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Discussed in reports on rising input costs and their impact on pricing.
Academic
A key concept in macroeconomic theory, analysed in journals and textbooks.
Everyday
Virtually never used in casual conversation.
Technical
Precise term in economics for a specific inflation mechanism.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “cost-push”
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “cost-push”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “cost-push”
- Using it as a verb (e.g., 'The war cost-pushed inflation').
- Writing it without a hyphen ('cost push inflation').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Rarely. It is almost exclusively used as a compound adjective (e.g., cost-push inflation). One might say 'a cost-push' in informal economic shorthand, but it's non-standard.
The direct opposite is 'demand-pull inflation', where prices rise because demand outstrips supply.
No, it is difficult because it stems from supply-side factors (like global commodity prices) that are often outside a single government's direct control.
It is standardly written with a hyphen: 'cost-push'.
Inflation caused primarily by increases in the costs of production (e.
Cost-push is usually formal in register.
Cost-push: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkɒst pʊʃ/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkɔːst pʊʃ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a shopkeeper being PUSHED to raise prices because his own COSTS have gone up – that's cost-push.
Conceptual Metaphor
INFLATION IS A FORCE (pushing prices upward from the cost side).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary cause of cost-push inflation?