bellwether state
1
7.8
- noun
- /ˈbɛlˌwɛðər steɪt/
- Literature
:
estado indicador
- Missouri is the ultimate bellwether state, having correctly picked every presidential contest but one since 1904.
Examples
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Florida is often considered a bellwether state because its election results can predict the national mood.
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It had been a "bellwether" state that "reflected national trends," rather than delivering votes for any particular party.
Blog text (9) -
Thus, California can be viewed as a bellwether state.
Academic text (2004) -
My feeling is that Denmark is a bellwether state in many ways.
Blog text (3) -
Emlet and Farkas report sobering new findings about the demographics of HIV in California, the bellwether state for so many national conditions.
Academic text (2001) -
Ohio is marketed as "the heart of it all" by the convention and tourism board, but it's really more the "bellwether state" because I think Ohioans—and the people of Cleveland in particular—are a natural indicator of what's going to happen in an election as a whole.
Blog text (14) -
As a bellwether state, Ohio frequently reflects the broader electoral trends seen in the country.
Synonyms
13
8.4
A person or thing that shows future trends
Surface Forms
Morphology
Given the definition of 'bellwether' as an entity that signals future trends and 'state' as a political region, a learner who knows both words can infer that a 'bellwether state' is a state that indicates wider national trends or outcomes. The noun–noun composition is compositional and follows transparent compounding patterns, so the meaning is predictable from the constituents.
Etymology
Bellwether state comes from farming: a bellwether was a male sheep called a wether that wore a bell and led the flock, so the bell showed where the group was going. So a bellwether state is a state that 'shows' or 'predicts' the direction of the country's vote.