gerrymander

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

Updated on: 15 May 2018

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

See gerrymander defined for kids

Recent Examples of gerrymander from the Web

The Supreme Court has never struck down a voting district as a partisan gerrymander.

— adam liptak, New York Times, "Supreme Court Weighs Claims That Texas Voting Maps Discriminate Against Minorities," 24 Apr. 2018
But where those suits seek to pave new ground by invalidating partisan gerrymanders that allegedly discriminate against voters on purely political grounds, the Texas case involves more familiar claims of racial bias.

— jess bravin, WSJ, "In Racial Gerrymandering Case, Texas Defends Its Legislative Districts," 24 Apr. 2018
Costello had been considering retirement since February, when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court drew a new map to replace a gerrymander that Republicans put into place seven years ago.

— david weigel, Washington Post, "Facing unfriendly new map, Pennsylvania GOP congressman will retire," 25 Mar. 2018
The case is the latest in a series of voting rights cases the Supreme Court is hearing this term including two partisan gerrymander cases and another challenge to Ohio's system for purging voters from its rolls.

— CNN, "Supreme Court looks at Texas district maps," 24 Apr. 2018
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the prior congressional district map last month, declaring it an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander designed to favor Republicans.

— jonathan lai, Philly.com, "Republican congressmen jump into gerrymandering fight over Pa. congressional map with federal lawsuit," 22 Feb. 2018
But the conservative wing of the court was sceptical of the standard offered by those challenging a Republican gerrymander in Wisconsin.

— The Economist, "How the Supreme Court and the next census could affect the electoral map," 28 Mar. 2018
Partisan gerrymanders are ugly and contribute to political polarization.

— the editorial board, WSJ, "The Political Judges of Gerrymanders," 28 Mar. 2018
The Democratic majority on the state Supreme Court had ruled in January that a map Republicans crafted in 2011 amounted to an unconstitutional gerrymander.

— NBC News, "Supreme Court keeps revised Pennsylvania congressional map in place," 19 Mar. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

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

So why would the Ohio Republican Party — which has controlled the governorship, dominates the state legislature, and drew the maps of its dreams in 2010 — sign on to a deal that could limit its power to gerrymander in the future?

— andrew prokop, Vox, "The Ohio gerrymandering reform going for a statewide vote this week, explained," 7 May 2018
Meehan represented the 7th Congressional District of Pennsylvania which was a competitive seat but the state’s Supreme Court redrew the map after ruling that it was unconstitutionally gerrymandered.

— eliza collins, USA TODAY, "Rep. Patrick Meehan resigns, will pay back $39,000 settlement of sexual harassment case," 27 Apr. 2018
What President Trump doesn’t seem to realize is that a liberal tsunami in November could erase GOP control of many statehouses and put Democrats in prime position to gerrymander maps after the 2020 reapportionment.

— the editorial board, WSJ, "The Wisconsin Canary," 4 Apr. 2018
But last year, the federal court ruled that some districts were racially gerrymandered to weaken the electoral power of growing minority populations.

— Washington Post, "Numerous redistricting challenges pending in courts," 26 Mar. 2018
Sutton kept the district competitive even after it was gerrymandered to benefit Renacci for the 2012 election.

— seth a. richardson, cleveland.com, "Pennsylvania special election shows Ohio congressional districts could be competitive," 15 Mar. 2018
The State Supreme Court ruled in January that Pennsylvania’s House map was gerrymandered unlawfully and redrew congressional boundaries that may cause either candidate to run in a new district in November.

— jonathan martin and alexander burns, New York Times, "No Result Yet in Pennsylvania House Race, but Democrat Declares Victory," 13 Mar. 2018
The anti-gerrymandering proposal passed through the council, with McQuillen voting against it.

— james briggs, Indianapolis Star, "Indianapolis Democrat requests assault weapon ban 'just to get attention' for the issue," 10 Apr. 2018
American political parties have taken gerrymandering to new heights, using computer models that enable districts to be crafted block by block for maximum partisan gain.

— The Economist, "How the Supreme Court and the next census could affect the electoral map," 28 Mar. 2018