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

There are a number of majority-minority districts in blue states as well which, if viewed by the Court as unconstitutionally created, could further complicate blue-state efforts to respond to Texas-style extreme gerrymandering. —Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025

The controversies over gerrymandering will be top of mind for many lawmakers over the next year, especially if their own districts are redrawn. —Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025

As the Senate’s top lawmaker, Masterson would be instrumental in any gerrymandering push. —Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025

Redistricting efforts in Texas and California are kickstarting a gerrymandering war, with a California Republican looking to ban states from mid-decade redistricting nationally. —Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 29 Aug. 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