weather vane

Or weather·vane

noun

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

weather vane

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of weather vane¹

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

Badenoch said the prime minister didn't "have the balls" to say where he stood and likened him to a "weather vane".

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When throngs of visitors move through the show, which started Nov. 8, they’ll create air currents, stirring the mobiles to move in a slow ballet of weather vanes.

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A museum should not change directions like a weather vane but give us the reassurance that some things are timeless and provide us with the history and progression of art.

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There are weather vanes with more firmly fixed positions.

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Long an integral part of the social calendar, Germany’s roughly 500 Christmas markets have renewed importance as weather vanes of the national mood.

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