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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
The pair points to “Radio” as the album’s bellwether.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
Microsoft, with almost 8% weighting in tech ETFs and as a top Dow stock, acts as a key bellwether for the software sector.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
The photo remains a bellwether even today, revealing more about the yearnings and prejudices of its viewers than about the subject herself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Swindon, for so long a political bellwether, is perhaps providing a parable of Englishness.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
The crowd does not imitate or follow its leader as sheep do a bellwether.
From Introduction to the Science of Sociology by Park, Robert Ezra
One of the most critical retail bellwethers, restaurants, saw a slight decline in sales in December.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 10, 2026
Magnificent Seven members Apple, Microsoft, Meta and Tesla are due this week, with other bellwethers including Texas Instruments, Boeing and Mastercard providing an idea about the state of the economy.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
We’ll concern ourselves now with the nominations on the film side, as the guild’s awards are usually one of the most accurate bellwethers for the Oscars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2026
Market demand appears constructive with industry bellwethers pointing to central-processing unit recovery, which reinforces momentum for the company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025
The human animal being apt to run after bellwethers, it may be looked upon as natural that this strange conduct of a respectable matron was speedily imitated by the girls.
From My Lords of Strogue, Vol. II (of III) A Chronicle of Ireland, from the Convention to the Union by Wingfield, Lewis
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.
