gerrymander

play

noun ger·ry·man·der \ˈjer-ē-ˌman-dər, also ˈger-; orig ˈger-\

Definition of gerrymander

1 : the act or method of gerrymandering
2 : a district or pattern of districts varying greatly in size or population as a result of gerrymandering three new gerrymanders

Recent Examples of gerrymander from the Web

These districts are sort of the reverse of the fragile gerrymanders and the underperforming incumbents.

— nate cohn, New York Times, "Democrats’ Best Chance to Retake the House? 8 Types of G.O.P. Districts to Watch," 26 June 2017
The legislature itself is committed to preserving its advantage and cannot be expected to undo their gerrymanders.

— bill whitford, Time, "Why Wisconsin Is Not a Democracy," 23 June 2017
In some other states, where Democrats are in political control, gerrymanders disadvantaging Republicans have been adopted.

— bill whitford, Time, "Why Wisconsin Is Not a Democracy," 23 June 2017
The decision was the first from a federal court in more than 30 years to reject a voting map as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander.

— adam liptak, Alaska Dispatch News, "Justices to hear major challenge to partisan gerrymandering," 20 June 2017
They are not oddly shaped and do not look like a classic gerrymander.

— tribune news service, NOLA.com, "Draw election districts to favor political parties? Supreme Court to decide legality," 19 June 2017
Former president Barack Obama has said that one of his post-presidency projects will be to combat partisan gerrymanders after the 2020 Census.

— robert barnes, Washington Post, "Supreme Court to hear potentially landmark case on partisan gerrymandering," 19 June 2017
There are other gerrymandering cases awaiting Supreme Court review, including one from North Carolina in which the Court earlier this month upheld a lower-court finding of a racial gerrymander but overturned an order for an immediate remapping.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Big Wisconsin Gerrymandering Case — But Won’t Stop GOP-Written Maps From Staying in Place for Now," 19 June 2017
If one party has substantially more wasted voters and a lower efficiency than the other, then Stephanopoulos and McGhee claim that’s proof of an unconstitutional gerrymander.

— vann r. newkirk ii, The Atlantic, "The Supreme Court Takes on Partisan Gerrymandering," 19 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gerrymander.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of gerrymander

Elbridge Gerry + salamander; from the shape of an election district formed during Gerry's governorship of Massachusetts

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1812

See Words from the same year

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

gerrymander

verb ger·ry·man·der

Definition of gerrymander

gerrymandered

;

gerrymandering

\-d(ə-)riŋ\

transitive verb
1 : to divide (a territorial unit) into election districts to give one political party an electoral majority in a large number of districts while concentrating the voting strength of the opposition in as few districts as possible
2 : to divide (an area) into political units to give special advantages to one group gerrymander a school district

See gerrymander defined for English-language learners

Examples of gerrymander in a Sentence

gerrymandering urban districts to give rural voters a majority

Recent Examples of gerrymander from the Web

Political professionals can be a bit sniffy about gerrymandering’s importance as an explanation for government dysfunction.

— The Economist, "Arnie lends some muscle to the campaign against gerrymandering," 22 July 2017
These optimistic folks relaxed and smiled as every voting district in the United States was gerrymandered.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: When perceived hope is lost," 28 June 2017
And unlike a few states, Wisconsin does not have voter initiative, a process that has allowed citizens in California and Arizona to enact non-partisan districting commissions and remove from legislatures the ability to gerrymander.

— bill whitford, Time, "Why Wisconsin Is Not a Democracy," 23 June 2017
The lawsuit had criticized the district, currently represented by U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond of New Orleans, as racially gerrymandered...

— tribune news service, NOLA.com, "Draw election districts to favor political parties? Supreme Court to decide legality," 19 June 2017
The issue of gerrymandering — creating districts that often are oddly shaped and with the aim of benefiting one party — is centuries old.

— andrew nusca, Fortune, "Supreme Court May Take Up High-Stakes Fight over Electoral Maps," 18 June 2017
The Supreme Court has regularly — and increasingly — tossed out state electoral maps because they have been gerrymandered to reduce the influence of racial minorities by depressing the impact of their votes.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: 40 questions for Jeff Sessions," 12 June 2017
The Supreme Court has regularly – and increasingly – tossed out state electoral maps because they have been gerrymandered to reduce the influence of racial minorities by depressing the impact of their votes.

— robert barnes, The Denver Post, "Wisconsin redistricting effort could shape future U.S. elections," 11 June 2017
Gerrymandering in favor of a political party instead of race has so far been deemed constitutional.

— stephen a. nuño, NBC News, "Opinion: Supreme Court Recognizes That With Gerrymandering, Not all Votes Are Equal," 23 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of gerrymander

see ¹gerrymander

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1812

See Words from the same year

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

GERRYMANDER Defined for English Language Learners

gerrymander

verb

Definition of gerrymander for English Language Learners

: to divide (a state, school district, etc.) into political units that give one group an unfair advantage

Law Dictionary

gerrymander

play

noun ger·ry·man·der \ˈjer-ē-ˌman-dər also and originally ˈger-ē-\

Legal Definition of gerrymander

1 : the act or method of gerrymandering
2 : a district or pattern of districts varying greatly in size or population as a result of gerrymandering

Origin and Etymology of gerrymander

Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814) + salamander; from the shape of an election district formed during Gerry's governorship of Massachusetts

gerrymander

transitive verb ger·ry·man·der

Legal Definition of gerrymander

gerrymandered

gerrymandering

1 : to divide (a territorial unit) into election districts to give one political party an electoral majority in a large number of districts while concentrating the voting strength of the opposition in as few districts as possible
2 : to divide (an area) into political units to give special advantages to one group gerrymander a school district