weather vane

American  

Or weathervane

noun

1. a device, as a rod to which a freely rotating pointer is attached, for indicating the direction of the wind.

---

weather vane British  

noun

1. a vane designed to indicate the direction in which the wind is blowing

---

Etymology

Origin of weather vane

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

weather vane

The remarks by Williams are especially important because he is a top ally of Fed Chair Jerome Powell and is seen as a weather vane for the bank’s future moves.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 3, 2026

Marialyce Pedersen walked around the parking lot spinning a weather vane on which she’d fashioned a picture of L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2026

Election betting is not so much a weather vane as a mechanism for bettors to reflect the world as they see it, and make or lose money doing so.

From Slate ● Dec. 10, 2025

The City Council could prove that it’s better than a weather vane blown by special interests.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 31, 2022

One day she fussed because I hadn’t made her one, and so I stopped shaping the shaft for the waterwheel and went to work on the weather vane.

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George