gerrymander

present singular third person gerrymanders · participle present gerrymandering · participle past gerrymandered · past gerrymandered · alternative obsolete Gerry-mander · alternative obsolete Gerrymander

1. derogatorytransitiveTo divide a geographic area into voting districts in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election.

   THE GERRY-MANDER, OR ESSEX SOUTH DISTRICT FORMED INTO A MONSTER!

   1813 April 2, Salem Gazette, Vol. XXVII, No. 27, p. 1

   1 more example

   Prop 50 would implement a newly gerrymandered map that would hold until the next decennial census, in 2030, when an independent commission would again draw the lines. […] [Will] O’Neill isn’t necessarily wrong. Democrats readily concede that they are betraying principles of good governance in trying to gerrymander California.

   2025 October 27, Russell Berman, “‘California Is Allowed to Hit Back’”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 04 Nov 2025

2. broadlyderogatorytransitiveTo draw dividing lines for other types of districts in an unintuitive way to favor a particular group or for other perceived gain.

   The superintendent helped gerrymander the school district lines in order to keep the children of the wealthy gated community in the better school all the way across town.

3. broadlyderogatorytransitiveTo change the franchise or voting system in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election.

   [The Reform Bill's] main purpose will be so to gerrymander the electorate as to give the greatest possible assistance to the Radical party at the next election.

   1912, The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art

   2 more examples

   But Remainers often picture [Brexit] instead as the upshot of a poorly framed question put to an ill-informed, and underrepresentative segment of the population – even the product of a 'gerrymander'.

   2018 November 1, Patrick Dunleavy, Alice Park, Ros Taylor, The UK's Changing Democracy: The 2018 Democratic Audit, LSE Press, →ISBN, page 257

   Congress delegated to the first legislature the task of setting up elections under territorial law, which it did. But Montana Democrats couldn't pass up the opportunity to gerrymander the rules.

   2021 October 29, Jeffrey S. Sutton, Who Decides?: States As Laboratories of Constitutional Experimentation, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 110

4. IrelandUKbroadlyderogatorytransitiveTo deliberately bring in voters of one's own party or displace voters of another party from a voting district in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election.

   Fermanagh Council even went so far as to create the new village of Donagh in an attempt to move Catholics out of Newtownbutler, four miles away, so unionists could gerrymander a majority.

   2022 December 1, Trevor Birney, Quinn, Merrion Press, →ISBN

   1 more example

   Westminster City Council has been accused by the District Auditor of using public money to gerrymander marginal wards for the 1990 Borough elections. The strategy of attempting to 'gentrify' eight key wards, selling off council homes and hostels for the homeless to move out potential Labour voters and attract in more Conservative voters, was in conflict with the council's statutory duty to homeless people

   2000, Hugo de Burgh, Investigative Journalism: Context and Practice, Psychology Press, →ISBN, page 207

plural gerrymanders · alternative obsolete Gerry-mander · alternative obsolete Gerrymander

1. derogatoryThe act of gerrymandering.
2. derogatoryA voting district skewed by gerrymandering.

   Any citizen looking at a map of district 12 could immediately tell that it was a gerrymander because of the ridiculous way it cut across four counties while carving up neighborhoods in half.

   1 more example

   Courts have repeatedly struck down Republican-drawn maps on the grounds that they constitute illegal racial gerrymanders designed to dilute the electoral power of Black voters, who overwhelmingly cast Democratic ballots.

   2025 October 27, Russell Berman, “‘California Is Allowed to Hit Back’”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 04 Nov 2025

present singular third person Gerrymanders · participle present Gerrymandering · participle past Gerrymandered · past Gerrymandered

1. obsoleteObsolete form of gerrymander.

   When a man has been swindled out of his rights by a villain, he says he has been Gerrymandered.

   1813 April 8, Boston Gazette, Boston, Mass., →OCLC; quoted in “Gerrymander, v.”, in C[harles] T[albut] Onions, William Craigie, editors, The Oxford English Dictionary […] Supplement and Bibliography, volume [], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press; Humphrey Milford, […], 1933, →OCLC, page 412, column 2

   3 more examples

   The latter attempted (at June Session) to provide for the appointment of Madisonian Electors by the Legislature; they attempted also to Gerrymander the State for the choice of Representatives to Congress; […]

   1812 December 28, New-York Evening Post, number 3248, New York, N.Y., →OCLC, page [3], column 1

   Col. Singleton is the first Whig Representative ever sent to the Legislature since the district was Gerrymandered for party purposes.

   1850 November 12, Quincy Whig, Quincy, Ill., published 1956 (3rd impression), →OCLC, page 2, column 3; quoted in “Gerryamnder ˈgɛrɪˌmændɚ, v.”, in Mitford M[cLeod] Mathews, editor, A Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles, Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago Press, 1951, →OCLC, page 692, column 2

   The Legislature of Ohio intends to prove itself a veritable master in the Gerrymandering business.

   1872 March 31, Sunday Mercury, New York, N.Y., →OCLC; quoted in “Gerryma·ndering, vbl. sb.”, in James A[ugustus] H[enry] Murray [et al.], editors, A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volume IV (F–G), London: Clarendon Press, 1884–1928, →OCLC, page 134, column 2

plural Gerrymanders

1. obsoleteObsolete form of gerrymander.

   Some returns from democratic towns are not made conformable to the Gerrymander law of last February.

   1812 November 23, Boston Gazette, Boston, Mass., →OCLC; quoted in “Gerrymander, sb.”, in C[harles] T[albut] Onions, William Craigie, editors, The Oxford English Dictionary […] Supplement and Bibliography, volume [], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press; Humphrey Milford, […], 1933, →OCLC, page 412, column 2

   5 more examples

   The sensibility of the good people of Massachusetts is at present too much awakened to this ‘Gerrymander’ to require [etc.].

   1812 May 23, Columbian Centinel, Boston, Mass., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2, column 3; quoted in “+Gerrymander, n.”, in William A[lexander] Craigie, James R[oot] Hulbert, editors, A Dictionary of American English on Historical Principles, volume II (Corn pit–Honk), Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago Press, June 1940, →OCLC, page 1114, column 2

   The Senate proposed an election by Congressional or Gerrymander districts, which was refused by the house, as a novel as well as unfair mode of election; […]

   1812 October 24, “Electors of President”, in New-York Evening Post, number 3194, New York, N.Y., →OCLC, page [2], column 5

   A bill to repeal the Law for Diſtricting the State for the Choice for Senators, and Repreſentatives to Congreſs [commonly called the Gerrymander diſtricts law] paſſed to be engroſſed.

   1812 October 27, “Choice of Electors, &c.”, in Franklin Herald, volume II, number 90, Greenfield, Mass., →ISSN, →OCLC, page [2], column 2

   We published our last paper under uncommon sensations of pleasure, on account of the triumph of the Friends of Peace and good principles in this Gerrymander district, formed by their opponents while they possessed the legislative power of the state, with a view to secure themselves in the senate, and control the Congressional election.

   1812 November 12, Salem Gazette, “The Voice of Massachusetts Is for Peace”, in Alexandria Gazette, Commercial and Political, volume XII, number 3798, Alexandria, Va.: S. Snowden & J. D. Simms, →ISSN, →OCLC, page [3], column 4

   Ontario County.—We have all the returns from this county, federal majority one thousand and thirty-four—It is part of a Gerrymander district, but the federal candidates we have no doubt are chosen.

   1812 December 29, Connecticut Courant, volume XLVIII, number 2501, Hartford, Conn.: Hudson & Goodwin, →OCLC, page [3], column 4