bellwether
/ˈbɛlˌwɛðər/
noun
- A person or thing that shows how a larger group is likely to behave or change; a leading indicator.
- Sales of luxury goods can be a bellwether of consumer confidence.
- The stock market is often a bellwether for the overall economy.
- This small town is considered a political bellwether because its voting patterns match the national results.
- A sheep that leads the flock, usually with a bell around its neck.
- When the bellwether stopped to drink, the rest of the sheep followed.
- The bellwether led the other sheep through the gate and into the pasture.
- The farmer put a bell on the bellwether so he could hear where the flock was moving.