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.

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weather vane British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of weather vane

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

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

In doing so, it set up a great weather vane for the state of national politics.

From Slate • Dec. 2, 2025

Others say she’s a weather vane, pivoting when it suits her advancement.

From Washington Post • Sep. 3, 2022

One of them is a real clock; the other looks like a clock but is really a weather vane, and the hands swing in the wind.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse