gerrymandering

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

Examples of gerrymandering in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The map carves Kansas City into three Republican-leaning districts, an overt example of partisan gerrymandering or the practice of redrawing electoral district boundaries to favor one party over another. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2025

While Wisconsin has a history of gerrymandering, its current congressional map is not expected to be redrawn. —Craig Gilbert, jsonline.com, 25 Sep. 2025

Voters are hurt by partisan gerrymandering. —Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025

The congressional map proposed under Prop 50 would split up communities of color around the state and dilute their voting power, opponents of the gerrymandering measure argued in a report released Wednesday. —Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

gerrymander entry 2 + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gerrymandering

• meandering
• philandering
• pandering
• slandering