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

And some Republicans, especially those from swing states, may read the change in the electoral winds and side with Democrats on some of the most populist issues, like the data centers, the environment and even regulation. — Steve Liesman, CNBC, 13 Nov. 2026

Murphy, who was not on the ballot last week, had been campaigning the past several weeks in Connecticut and a handful of swing states for Democratic candidates. — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 11 Nov. 2026

Under a national popular vote, these swing states’ residents would retain their electoral importance as individuals but Pennsylvania, for example, would lose much of its privileged position in presidential campaign calculations. — Anna Rahmanan, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2026

North Carolina went to have a Democrat win by a 60-40 margin in a swing state. — NBC news, 8 Nov. 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