bellwether
Americannoun
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a wether or other male sheep that leads the flock, usually bearing a bell.
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a person or thing that assumes the leadership or forefront, as of a profession or industry.
Paris is a bellwether of the fashion industry.
- Synonyms:
- trailblazer, front runner, pacesetter, leader
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a person or thing that shows the existence or direction of a trend; index.
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a person who leads a mob, mutiny, conspiracy, or the like; ringleader.
noun
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a sheep that leads the herd, often bearing a bell
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a leader, esp one followed unquestioningly
Etymology
Origin of bellwether
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at bell 1, wether
Explanation
Use the word bellwether to indicate someone or something that takes the lead in a group or movement. Literally, a bellwether is a sheep (often wearing a bell) that leads a herd. Unless you herd sheep, you probably don't see many bellwethers that say "Baaa." That's the origin of this word, but there are many other types of bellwethers who lead the way in different areas. Apple was a bellwether in technology. Rosa Parks was a bellwether in civil rights. And, during election season, those "bellwether states" are the ones where the primaries seem to predict the outcome of a party's nomination.
Vocabulary lists containing bellwether
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Oscar Selby, who researches troubled High Streets at the Centre for Cities think tank, sees them as a "bellwether" for the wider economy.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
Swindon, for so long a political bellwether, is perhaps providing a parable of Englishness.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
The stock’s first days of trading will serve as a bellwether for the rest of the quantum space, Wedbush analyst Antoine Legault told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026
ASHTON-IN-MAKERFIELD, England—This redbrick northern market town isn’t exactly famed as a British political bellwether.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026
No one was louder in his denunciation of the treacherous course of the Rev. Ebenezer Clay than the Republican bellwether, Deacon Swift.
From The Strength of Gideon and Other Stories by Dunbar, Paul Laurence
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
