Meanings
- Tammany Hall, a building near Union Square in New York City, formerly headquarters for the New York County Democratic Party.
- The nickname of the New York County Democratic Party, until the success of reform elements in the 1970s.
- A style of corrupt democratic politics.
New York City[’s] corrupt political machine, known as Tammany Hall, felt threatened by the Force Bill and mobilized against it on Capitol Hill.
2011, Colin Woodard, chapter 28, in American nations, New York: Penguin, →ISBN
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna political organization within the Democratic Party in New York City (late 1800's and early 1900's) seeking political control by corruption and bossism
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Tamanend or Tammany was a chief of part of the Lenni-Lenape nation in the Delaware Valley who became a hero to the colonists and gave his name to organizations throughout the American colonies beginning in 1772. One was New York City's Society of St. Tammany, which became the New York County Democratic Party organization.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Tammany. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Tammany
“Tammany.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Tammany. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Tammany,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Tammany.
Source: Tammany on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.