Meaning & use
QE
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Meanings
abbreviationuncountablefinancebusiness
Quantitative easing: a central bank policy of buying assets to add money to the economy.
Grammar: Read as two letters, 'cue-ee'; used like a noun, often with 'the' or 'a round of'.
Patterns
- introduce QE
- a round of QE
- QE program
The central bank introduced QE to support the economy during the crisis.
Investors worried that more QE would weaken the currency.
Critics say QE can push up prices for homes and shares.
abbreviationproperBritishformal
Queen Elizabeth, used especially in formal or historical British contexts.
Grammar: Written after a name or title, as in 'QE II' for Queen Elizabeth II.
Patterns
- QE II
The ship was named after QE II.
A coin from the reign of QE II was found in the garden.
Common combinations
- quantitative easing (QE)
- Quantitative easing (QE) became a common tool after 2008.
- a round of QE
- The bank announced another round of QE last month.
- unlimited QE
- Some economists called for unlimited QE to stop the downturn.
- the effects of QE
- The effects of QE are still debated by economists.
Synonyms and how they differ
- asset purchases
- A more descriptive term for the same policy, often used in official reports.
- money printing
- Informal and critical; it suggests careless creation of money rather than a technical policy.
Opposites
Word family
- easing noun
- The act of making conditions less strict or less severe.
Commonly confused: QE or EQ? QE or quantitative?
QE vs EQ
EQ usually means emotional intelligence or an equalizer in sound, not a central bank policy.
QE vs quantitative
This adjective means related to amounts or numbers; QE is a specific financial use of it.
Practice
In financial news, what does 'QE' most often refer to?
Choose one answer.
QE stands for quantitative easing, a central bank policy. EQ, not QE, is the common abbreviation for emotional intelligence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “QE”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.