Nov 8, 2012 · 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 …

Bellwether is intended to create an overall sense of the movement of a community through a designated space. Named after the bellwether, the literary prize is intended to support writers …

Use the word bellwether to indicate someone or something that takes the lead in a group or movement. Literally, a bellwether is a sheep (often wearing a bell) that leads a herd.

In the stock market, a 'bellwether' is a company or stock taken to be a leading indicator of the direction in a sector, in an industry or in the market as a whole. Bellwether stocks therefore …

BELLWETHER definition: a wether or other male sheep that leads the flock, usually bearing a bell. See examples of bellwether used in a sentence.

Definition of bellwether noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

bellwether, n. meanings, etymology, pronunciation and more in the Oxford English Dictionary

One that serves as a leader or as a leading indicator of future trends: "The degree to which the paper is censored is a political bellwether" (Justine De Lacy).

Oct 19, 2025 · bellwether (plural bellwethers) The leading sheep of a flock, having a bell hung round its neck. quotations

If you describe something as a bellwether, you mean that it is an indication of the way a situation is changing.