What does "gerrymander" mean?
The act of gerrymandering.
Gerrymander
/ˈdʒɛ.ɹiˌmæn.də/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of gerrymandering.
- Grammar: gerrymander is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: angle, borough, boundary manipulation, caucus.
- Useful contrasts: compact district, fair district, fair redistricting.
- Usage evidence: Local party members are trying to gerrymander the district.
How to use "gerrymander"
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of gerrymandering. derogatory
- 2 Obsolete form of gerrymander. alt-of, obsolete
"The sensibility of the good people of Massachusetts is at present too much awakened to this ‘Gerrymander’ to require [etc.]."
- 3 an act of gerrymandering (dividing a voting area so as to give your own party an unfair advantage) wordnet
- 4 A voting district skewed by gerrymandering. derogatory
"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."
Verb
- 1 To divide a geographic area into voting districts in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election. derogatory, transitive
"[Will] O’Neill isn’t necessarily wrong. Democrats readily concede that they are betraying principles of good governance in trying to gerrymander California."
- 2 Obsolete form of gerrymander. alt-of, obsolete
"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; […]"
- 3 divide unfairly and to one's advantage; of voting districts wordnet
- 4 To draw dividing lines for other types of districts in an unintuitive way to favor a particular group or for other perceived gain. broadly, derogatory, transitive
"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."
- 5 To change the franchise or voting system in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election. broadly, derogatory, transitive
"[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."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To 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. Ireland, UK, broadly, derogatory, transitive
"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"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
compact districtfair districtfair redistrictingneutral boundary drawing
Example
"Local party members are trying to gerrymander the district."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "gerrymander"?
Common synonyms include: angle, borough, boundary manipulation, caucus, close borough, congressional district.
How do you use "gerrymander" in a sentence?
Local party members are trying to gerrymander the district.
How do you pronounce "gerrymander"?
Pronounced /ˈdʒɛ.ɹiˌmæn.də/.
Etymology
Blend of Gerry + salamander, named after Elbridge Gerry, then governor of Massachusetts. Coined by the editors of the Boston Gazette in an 26 March 1812 article comparing the new electoral district boundary signed into law by Gerry to the shape of the mythological salamander. The original text was likely written by Nathan Hale and Benjamin and John Russell, accompanying a cartoon by Elkanah Tisdale. Despite Gerry's surname beginning with a hard G (/ɡ/), gerrymander is typically pronounced with a soft G (/dʒ/), as a spelling pronunciation.