swing state

[ swing steyt ]

noun

, U.S. Politics.

1. a state of the U.S. in which the Democratic and Republican candidates both have a good chance of winning and that is considered key to the outcome of a presidential election:

   the swing states of Ohio and Indiana.

Word History and Origins

Origin of swing state¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

This shifting dynamic is perhaps most evident in North Carolina, a swing state that Trump carried by about 3 points.

From Slate

To see Trump win 45% of the vote in New York State and sweep every swing state is telling the direction the US is heading.

From Salon

In Milwaukee, the biggest city in the swing state of Wisconsin, elections officials made a decision to re-run around 30,000 ballots out of an “abundance of caution”, after doors on the back of voting machines were left open.

From BBC

One of the Democrats winning a Senate race in a swing state that Kamala Harris lost, by contrast, is Ruben Gallego.

From Slate

The Republican was also heavily involved in Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat, in the swing state of Nevada.

From BBC