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

Clearly, this is not a vote to support or repeal gerrymandering. —Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2025

In 2023, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s interpretation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in a similar racial gerrymandering case in Alabama. —Sam D. Hayes, The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2025

Democratic politicians are purportedly in favor of ending partisan redistricting (or gerrymandering), which is a common applause line in stump speeches. —Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 12 Oct. 2025

This is compared to the state’s current congressional map from 2021, which favors Republicans in all four districts by anywhere from 19 to 28 points, according to the same outlet, which pointed to a Princeton University gerrymandering study. —Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 7 Oct. 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