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

More from this past week • A leading national expert on gerrymandering says the plan floated by some Republicans to oust this Kansas congresswoman from office could backfire. —Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 10 Sep. 2025

Talarico, whose plans to run were reported last week but made official on Tuesday, gained popularity as Democrats in his state began fighting a GOP gerrymandering push. —David Weigel, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2025

The current push, known as gerrymandering, is aimed at gaining partisan advantage. —Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025

As a practical matter, California making this move will only further inflame the gerrymandering problem, encouraging a further spiral of gerrymandering offsetting Democratic gains in other states. —The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 7 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