quantitative easing
noun
finance
: a set of government policies that may be implemented by a central bank to increase the money supply in the economy
The Fed has already done plenty with its unique stimulus program of quantitative easing, or QE, the $85 billion-a-month purchase of bonds and mortgage-backed assets that started pumping cash into the system in 2008.—
Rana Foroohar
Rana ForooharSpeculation is increasing that in an effort to stimulate the sluggish economy, the central bank will soon announce additional quantitative easing, the strategy of buying long-term assets like Treasury bonds to lower long-term interest rates.—Christine Hauser
Christine HauserSince 2000, the Bank of Japan has progressively increased the intensity of its quantitative easing programs in response to stagnant growth and failures in its banking system.—Blaine Luetkemeyer
—abbreviation QE
Blaine LuetkemeyerExamples of quantitative easing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
By late 2008, the huge increase in reserves from Fed emergency lending and quantitative easing made that approach infeasible.
—
Bill English,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Since the global financial crisis, central banks have relied on multiple rounds of quantitative easing, government debt has climbed to record levels and inflation has surged well above the Federal Reserve's long-term target.
—
Dan Simms,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
Markets have adopted terms for the balance sheet operations – quantitative easing, or QE, for expansion and quantitative tightening, or QT, for reduction – but the Fed has never set out clear guidance about when either will be used.
—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
22 May 2026
After the Great Financial Crisis and again during the pandemic, the Fed bought millions of dollars of assets like Treasury bonds to support the economy, a policy known as quantitative easing.
—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
The central bank’s balance sheet has since ballooned as a result of another wave of quantitative easing, during the pandemic.
—
Christine Zhang,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
A student can graduate with honors, having memorized the Phillips curve and explained the mechanics of quantitative easing, and still have no idea how compound interest works against a borrower.
—
Gerald Bradshaw,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
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Bill English,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Since the global financial crisis, central banks have relied on multiple rounds of quantitative easing, government debt has climbed to record levels and inflation has surged well above the Federal Reserve's long-term target.
—
Dan Simms,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
Markets have adopted terms for the balance sheet operations – quantitative easing, or QE, for expansion and quantitative tightening, or QT, for reduction – but the Fed has never set out clear guidance about when either will be used.
—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
22 May 2026
After the Great Financial Crisis and again during the pandemic, the Fed bought millions of dollars of assets like Treasury bonds to support the economy, a policy known as quantitative easing.
—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
The central bank’s balance sheet has since ballooned as a result of another wave of quantitative easing, during the pandemic.
—
Christine Zhang,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
A student can graduate with honors, having memorized the Phillips curve and explained the mechanics of quantitative easing, and still have no idea how compound interest works against a borrower.
—
Gerald Bradshaw,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quantitative easing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quantitative%20easing. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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