Definition of BELLWETHER

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We usually think of sheep more as followers than leaders, but in a flock one sheep must lead the way. Long ago, it was common practice for shepherds to hang a bell around the neck of one sheep in their flock, thereby designating it the lead sheep. This animal was called the bellwether, a word formed by a combination of the Middle English words belle (meaning "bell") and wether (a noun that refers to a male sheep that has been castrated). It eventually followed that bellwether would come to refer to someone who takes initiative or who actively establishes a trend that is taken up by others. This usage first appeared in English in the 13th century.

Examples of bellwether in a Sentence

She is a bellwether of fashion. High-tech bellwethers led the decline in the stock market. a county that is a bellwether in national elections

Recent Examples on the Web Thursday’s report from the Labor Department provides data on regular state programs—which have served as an economic bellwether for a half-century—as well as details from pandemic-specific programs first implemented in March. — Eric Morath, WSJ, "U.S. Jobless Claims Fell to 787,000 Last Week," 22 Oct. 2020 California has a rich history of leading on labor rights, and, in that context, some have referred to Proposition 22 as a bellwether. — Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, "Gig Work on the Ballot in California," 22 Oct. 2020 Anita Dunn, a senior adviser to the Biden campaign, said Democrats have been much more cautious in 2020 in their polling assumptions, and intentionally less dependent on polling as a bellwether than the Clinton effort four years earlier. — Michael Scherer And Scott Clement Washington Post, Star Tribune, "For Democrats, Biden's lead fuels uncomfortable sense of deja vu," 18 Oct. 2020 With its 4,300 branches across the country, Bank of America is often seen as a bellwether for the U.S. consumer. — Lananh Nguyen, Bloomberg.com, "BofA Traders Fall Short of Rivals as Revenue Forecast Missed," 14 Oct. 2020 Macomb County is often pointed to as the bellwether of Michigan. — Caitlin Conant, CBS News, "2020 Daily Trail Markers: 2nd presidential debate in doubt," 8 Oct. 2020 Certainly Sudsy’s hasn’t operated in close to 20 years, but it could be seen as a bellwether. — Chris Varias, The Enquirer, "Sudsy Malone’s building on Short Vine has been demolished. Let's reminisce," 5 Oct. 2020 The company, which often acts as a bellwether for the wider global technology industry, still has to navigate the long tail of the pandemic, as countries await a vaccine that could help restore economic stability. — Elizabeth Koh, WSJ, "Samsung Electronics Forecasts Highest Operating Profits in Two Years," 8 Oct. 2020 Bellwether: In a column for the New York Times, elections guru Dave Wasserman included Ohio’s Wood as one of the 10 Trump-Obama counties that could serve as a national bellwether. — Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, "Ballot drop box issue remains unsettled as early voting begins: Capitol Letter," 7 Oct. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bellwether.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.