as in leader
one that takes the lead or sets an example
the state has a long history of being an early and reliable bellwether in presidential elections
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Recent Examples of bellwether
Marquez-Garrett, a member of the plaintiffs’ steering committee overseeing the thousands of claims consolidated in Los Angeles County, said upcoming bellwether trials are expected to reveal additional internal communications the companies sought to keep private.
—
Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
The trial is a test case, known as a bellwether, tied to about 2,000 other pending lawsuits brought by parents and school districts arguing that social media giants should be considered manufacturers of defective products for hooking a generation of young people to social media feeds.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 25 Mar. 2026
The bellwether case could impact how thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies are likely to play out.
—Morgan Lee, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
But beneath the apparent stability of Parisian politics, the first round of voting last Sunday did reflect an important electoral shift in municipal elections widely seen as both a launching pad and a bellwether for France’s parties one year ahead of the presidential poll.
—Melissa Bell, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bellwether
Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
The trial is a test case, known as a bellwether, tied to about 2,000 other pending lawsuits brought by parents and school districts arguing that social media giants should be considered manufacturers of defective products for hooking a generation of young people to social media feeds.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 25 Mar. 2026
The bellwether case could impact how thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies are likely to play out.
—Morgan Lee, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
But beneath the apparent stability of Parisian politics, the first round of voting last Sunday did reflect an important electoral shift in municipal elections widely seen as both a launching pad and a bellwether for France’s parties one year ahead of the presidential poll.
—Melissa Bell, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bellwether
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bellwether
Noun
-
The protest, organized by national anti-death penalty organizations Death Penalty Action and Worth Rise, was attended mostly by local faith leaders and members.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
1 Apr. 2026
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Thousands of people are calling on Charlotte leaders to stop a data center from setting up shop southeast of Reedy Creek Nature Preserve.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Long before federal regulations existed, the couple hosted the very first meeting to form the National Organic Standards Board right there at their ranch, gathering with other pioneers like the Lundberg family to create a unified standard.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
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Apollo's acquisition came after Verizon Communications bought Yahoo's online operations in 2017 and then bungled an attempt to blend those services into AOL, another internet pioneer.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bellwether.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellwether. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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