gerrymander

American  

[jer-i-man-der, ger-] / ˈdʒɛr ɪˌmæn dər, ˈgɛr- /

noun

1. U.S. Politics. the dividing of a state, county, etc., into election districts so as to give one political party a majority in many districts while concentrating the voting strength of the other party into as few districts as possible.

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verb (used with object)

gerrymanders, present (3rd person singular) gerrymandered, past participle, past gerrymandering present participle

1. U.S. Politics. to subject (a state, county, etc.) to a gerrymander.

gerrymander British  

/ ˈdʒɛrɪˌmændə /

verb

1. to divide the constituencies of (a voting area) so as to give one party an unfair advantage

2. to manipulate or adapt to one's advantage

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noun

1. an act or result of gerrymandering

gerrymander Cultural  

1. To change the boundaries of legislative districts to favor one party over another. Typically, the dominant party in a state legislature (which is responsible for drawing the boundaries of congressional districts) will try to concentrate the opposing party's strength in as few districts as possible, while giving itself likely majorities in as many districts as possible.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gerrymandering
  noun
• gerrymanderer
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has gerrymandered
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have gerrymandered
  perfect
• has been gerrymandering
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• are gerrymandering
  progressive
• gerrymanders
  singular 3rd person
• gerrymandering
  participle
• have been gerrymandering
  perfect progressive
• am gerrymandering
  progressive 1st person singular
• is gerrymandering
  progressive 3rd person singular

Past

• had gerrymandered
  perfect
• were gerrymandering
  progressive plural
• gerrymandered
  participle
• was gerrymandering
  progressive singular
• had been gerrymandering
  perfect progressive
• gerrymandered
  simple

Future

• will gerrymander
  simple
• will have gerrymandered
  perfect
• will have been gerrymandering
  perfect progressive
• will be gerrymandering
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of gerrymander

1812, after E. Gerry (governor of Massachusetts, whose party redistricted the state in 1812) + (sala)mander, from the fancied resemblance of the map of Essex County, Mass., to this animal, after the redistricting

Explanation

Some politicians change the boundaries of their voting districts in order to benefit themselves or their political party. To manipulate the boundaries like this — often viewed as unfair — is to gerrymander. The verb gerrymander first appeared in 1812 when Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry redrew district boundaries, hoping it would help his party in an upcoming senate election. Then somebody noticed that the new district looked like a salamander, so they combined Gerry and -mander to create the new word gerrymander. And then a newspaper printed a cartoon with a giant salamander making fun of Gerry, which is what happens to politicians who don’t behave.

Example Sentences

Appeared in the March 13, 2026, print edition as 'The Gerrymander Boomerang in Virginia'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that in 2014, Common Cause organized the Gerrymander Meander relay race along the 3rd District’s outline.

From Washington Post • Feb. 8, 2019

Several hundred runners were signed up to race, jog or walk along the Gerrymander 5K route which looked, on a map, as though a kid had got carried away with an Etch-A-Sketch.

From The Guardian • Nov. 5, 2017

Thanks in part to Common Cause's Gerrymander Standard writing competition, scholars across the country are devising new ways to evaluate these plans.

From US News • Jul. 17, 2016

To the suggestion of a famous painter that this looked like a salamander, a local wit replied that it was more nearly a Gerrymander.

From Problems in American Democracy by Williamson, Thames Ross

Related Words

• contrive
• engineer
• finesse
• manipulate