What do we call the control that prevents prices from rising too high?

The term that refers to the control preventing prices from rising too high is known as a price ceiling. A price ceiling is a government-imposed limit on how high a price can be charged for a product or service, ensuring that essential goods remain affordable for consumers, especially during times of economic hardship or inflation. This regulation seeks to protect low- and middle-income households from price gouging and market monopolies that could take advantage of high demand.

While terms like price cap and price limit may sound similar and could, in informal contexts, refer to similar concepts of controlling prices, they are not the officially recognized terminology used in economics that specifically defines the mechanism of limiting prices to protect consumers. Price threshold also does not accurately capture the essence of a regulatory limit on price increases, as it implies more of a reference point rather than a controlling mechanism. Thus, the correct term for this economic control is a price ceiling.