bellwethers

plural of bellwether
as in leaders
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bellwethers Icebergs are bellwethers of environmental changes. Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2025 What To Watch For Large tech companies, like Meta and Microsoft, often serve as industry bellwethers, setting workforce and strategic trends that smaller companies and startups subsequently emulate. Jack Kelly, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025 It is often considered as one of the bellwethers for Oscar favorites. Wwd Staff, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019 Choi predicted that those two IPOs will be bellwethers for their respective markets. Sonia Heng, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2024

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bellwethers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bellwethers. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on bellwethers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!