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

For years, prominent Democrats had fought to eliminate partisan gerrymandering. —Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 18 May 2026

The Supreme Court's new limits on the Voting Rights Act's longstanding protections against racial discrimination in redistricting come seven years after the conservative justices ruled that partisan gerrymandering is not reviewable by federal courts. —Hansi Lo Wang, NPR, 18 May 2026

Despite a series of stinging gerrymandering losses, Democrats remain favored to take back the House. —Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 18 May 2026

So, closed primaries, coupled with gerrymandering, your previous question, are really, really hurting our country. —CBS News, 17 May 2026

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