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

Earlier decisions have already made racial gerrymandering claims more difficult, Vaughn said. —Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 8 Dec. 2025

The Texas maneuver started a mid-decade gerrymandering scramble playing out across multiple states. —Bill Barrow, Fortune, 7 Dec. 2025

That, too, seemed a long-term, safe district, until the nationwide gerrymandering dominoes began to tumble this year. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Dec. 2025

Newsom spearheaded California’s Proposition 50 redistricting push, framing it as a defense of democracy against GOP gerrymandering, and celebrated its passage as a major win for the party. —Daniel Orton, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Nov. 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