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
Carl HiaasenBipartisan 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
Peter BeinartExamples of gerrymandering in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
County Judge Tim O’Hare selected the law firm, which previously defended Galveston County commissioners in federal court after 2021 redistricting was challenged as racial gerrymandering.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2025
As lawmakers in Wisconsin and Illinois have demonstrated, partisan gerrymandering is a bipartisan pursuit when the party in power has carte blanche to pick its own voters.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
But Republican gerrymandering heavily favors the GOP in the U.S. House, where the state’s delegation was evenly divided in the last Congress — seven Republicans and seven Democrats — but now leans heavily towards Republicans, 10 to four, under the new map.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 27 Mar. 2025
Yet the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment also says states can't draw maps based on racial gerrymandering.
—Chelsea Brasted, Axios, 24 Mar. 2025
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Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2025
As lawmakers in Wisconsin and Illinois have demonstrated, partisan gerrymandering is a bipartisan pursuit when the party in power has carte blanche to pick its own voters.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
But Republican gerrymandering heavily favors the GOP in the U.S. House, where the state’s delegation was evenly divided in the last Congress — seven Republicans and seven Democrats — but now leans heavily towards Republicans, 10 to four, under the new map.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 27 Mar. 2025
Yet the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment also says states can't draw maps based on racial gerrymandering.
—Chelsea Brasted, Axios, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gerrymandering
Cite this Entry
“Gerrymandering.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gerrymandering. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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