Meaning & use
gerrymander
Last updated
To manipulate the boundaries of an electoral district to give one political party an unfair advantage.
See it in a sentence
Critics accused the state legislature of gerrymandering the new congressional map.
The court ruled that the district had been gerrymandered along racial lines.
A note on using this word
The word blends the name of Governor Elbridge Gerry with 'salamander,' after an 1812 redistricting plan produced a district shaped like the animal.
Words with a similar meaning
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Another way to use it
2. noun
A voting district that has been unfairly manipulated for political advantage.
The oddly shaped county was often cited as a classic gerrymander.
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