What does “priced out” mean in English?

Longwood Debates Building New Tiny Home Communities

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B2 English listening practice · American English · Picked for people who know more

💡 Did you know?
priced out
Everyday phrase — news and conversation
If you are “priced out,” something has become too expensive for you — the price has pushed you away from buying or joining.

When prices go up faster than people’s income, those people get “priced out.” It does not mean they did anything wrong. It just means the thing they want — a home, a neighborhood, a ticket — has become too expensive for them. You hear this phrase a lot in news stories and everyday talk about renting, buying, and the cost of living.

In the clip, Longwood’s development director explains why the city is looking at tiny-home communities: “There’s a lot of people who are interested in home ownership that are kinda priced out of it.” He means many people want to buy a home but cannot — the prices are just too high for them. A few more examples: “Young families are being priced out of the city.” “That gym used to be affordable, but the new fees have priced me out.” Register note: “priced out” works in both news language and everyday speech. It is not slang, but it is not very formal either. You will see it in headlines, hear it in town meetings, and read it in social media posts about the cost of living.

How common are the words?

How common are the words in this B2 English listening practice video?

91.1%
of words are in the top 2,000 most common English words
Most of the words in this video are common English words.

How common in written English

87.3%
Top 1,000
91.1%
Top 2,000
97.5%
Top 5,000

How common in spoken English

91.5%
Top 1,000
97.5%
Top 2,000
100%
Top 5,000
👄 Words for talking
This video uses words people often say in English.

Harder words in this video

These words are harder than B2. Here is what they mean.

hazen
1×
Not in top 5,000
a surname or place name
hiltran
1×
Not in top 5,000
a surname or place name
showpiece
1×
Not in top 5,000
a fine example or display
sunrail
1×
Not in top 5,000
a commuter train
showpiece for what we can do
1×
example of excellence or ideal model

Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-US 2012 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.

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