gerrymandering

1 of 2

noun

ger·​ry·​man·​der·​ing ˈjer-ē-ˌman-d(ə-)riŋ 

also ˈger-;

originally ˈger-

: the practice of dividing or arranging a territorial unit into election districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage in elections

To an untrained eye, the proposed boundaries look like the etchings of a mapmaker on heavy pharmaceuticals. In reality, it's a masterpiece of diabolical gerrymandering.

—Carl Hiaasen

Bipartisan gerrymandering following the 2000 reapportionment produced hundreds of safe Democratic seats, hundreds of safe Republican seats, and not much else.

—Peter Beinart

compare cracking, packing entry 1

gerrymandering

2 of 2

present participle of gerrymander entry 2

Examples of gerrymandering in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

California retaliated with its own gerrymandering in an effort to flip five seats held by Republicans to counter the effort to redraw five seats in Texas. — Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026

Matt Harris, a political science professor at Park University, said that the state repealing laws requiring that employers offer paid sick leave, mid-decade gerrymandering and national factors reached a tipping point on Tuesday. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 4 Nov. 2026

Maryland is hardly an innocent bystander in America’s gerrymandering wars. — Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 1 Nov. 2026

Racial gerrymandering Figures was elected in 2024 after a federal court ordered new districts, ruling that the Legislature had unlawfully diluted the voting power of Black residents. — Kim Chandler, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

gerrymander entry 2 + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1812, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gerrymandering

• meandering
• philandering
• pandering
• slandering