swing state

noun

plural swing states

US politics : a U.S. state in which Republican and Democratic candidates have similar levels of support and which is considered to play a key role in the outcome of presidential elections

The politics of immigration in Florida, a key swing state, are not as clear as they are in California.

—Tom Masland et al.

If he is so polarizing, how was he elected five times in a swing state?

—Nancy Gibbs et al.

Examples of swing state in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What a great feeling, winning every swing state, winning the popular vote. —Joey Garrison, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026

Last week, the FBI searched and seized original 2020 voting records from the Fulton County Elections and Operations Hub in Georgia, a swing state that went blue in 2020 and helped secure Joe Biden's victory. —Emily Chang, ABC News, 2 Feb. 2026

Trump’s affordability tour has taken him to Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina as the White House tries to marshal the president’s political power to appeal to voters in key swing states. —Seung Min Kim, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026

Suburban backlash Cruz warned that aggressive rhetoric could further push away suburban voters, particularly women, who helped Democrats flip Senate seats in swing states such as Arizona and Georgia. —Joseph Morton, Dallas Morning News, 27 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for swing state

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate