BELLWETHER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does bellwether mean? 

• BELLWETHER (noun)
  The noun BELLWETHER has 2 senses:

1. someone who assumes leadership of a movement or activity

2. sheep that leads the herd often wearing a bell

  Familiarity information: BELLWETHER used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BELLWETHER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Someone who assumes leadership of a movement or activity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("bellwether" is a kind of...):

leader (a person who rules or guides or inspires others)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Sheep that leads the herd often wearing a bell

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("bellwether" is a kind of...):

wether (male sheep especially a castrated one)

 Context examples 

Lake Chad, which sits at the center of this transition zone, serves as a bellwether for changing conditions in the Sahel.

(New study finds world’s largest desert, the Sahara, has grown by 10 percent since 1920, National Science Foundation)