swing state

noun

plural swing states
US politics : a U.S. state in which Republican and Democratic candidates have similar levels of support and which is considered to play a key role in the outcome of presidential elections
The politics of immigration in Florida, a key swing state, are not as clear as they are in California.Tom Masland et al.
If he is so polarizing, how was he elected five times in a swing state?Nancy Gibbs et al.

Examples of swing state in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The other two seats lost by the blue states would go to swing states Michigan and Pennsylvania. Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 23 Jan. 2025 Today’s Democrats are arguing over which direction to take to nudge the swing states back into their column: A bold leftward leap or a moderate move. Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 21 Jan. 2025 Kellen Browning is a Times reporter covering the 2024 election, with a focus on the swing states of Nevada and Arizona. Tracy Mumford, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025 Despite his critics' constant harping on his legal difficulties, in 2024 Trump went on to win the popular and electoral college votes, as well as all swing states. Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for swing state 

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of swing state was in 1952

Dictionary Entries Near swing state

Cite this Entry

“Swing state.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swing%20state. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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