reapportionment
noun
re·ap·por·tion·ment
ˌrē-ə-ˈpȯr-shən-mənt
plural reapportionments
: an act or result of reapportioning something : the process or result of making a new proportionate division or distribution of something
especially, US law
: the reassignment of representatives proportionally among the states in accordance with changes in population distribution
As one might expect, the legislative majority did not care to realign districts to represent the current distribution of the population, because reapportionment would endanger some of their seats. —Robert H. Bork
During the Warren Court period the federal courts revolutionized criminal procedure law, created modern antidiscrimination law, recaptured the First Amendment from the shambles of McCarthyism, and restructured American politics through reapportionment. —Elizabeth Mensch
Bipartisan gerrymandering following the 2000 reapportionment produced hundreds of safe Democratic seats, hundreds of safe Republican seats, and not much else. —Peter Beinart
Cite this Entry
“Reapportionment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reapportionment. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
