mapmaker

noun

map·​mak·​er ˈmap-ˌmā-kər How to pronounce mapmaker (audio)
mapmaking noun

Examples of mapmaker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Washington state’s mapmakers had been working for almost a year to draw the lines that would shape the state’s elections for the next decade. Marilyn W. Thompson, ProPublica, 18 Jan. 2024 This type of gerrymandering is called packing, and allows mapmakers to ensure that there is less competition for their party in neighboring districts. Journal Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2024 That may seem odd, but what is often left unsaid in discussions of Wisconsin maps is that the islands are not random parcels created by mapmakers to advantage Republicans at the behest of a Republican legislature. Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 17 Nov. 2023 Don Alexander Hawkins, an architect by trade and mapmaker by passion whose historical detective work helped uncover the topography of Washington before its hills, marshes, forests and fields were tamed into the boulevards and monuments of the federal city, died Oct. 5 at his home in Hillsboro, Va. Emily Langer, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2023 Since Wisconsinites are not evenly distributed across the state by political affiliation, GOP mapmakers are able to pack Democratic voters into deeply lopsided districts in Madison and Milwaukee. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 14 Sep. 2023 The mapmakers also assert their measures would unify various neighborhoods in council districts. Danny McDonald, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2023 That’s led to a series of conference alignments that maximize marketability but thoroughly confuse mapmakers. David K. Li, NBC News, 26 Aug. 2023 In some states, mapmakers have gotten creative by using narrow strips of roads or rivers to connect otherwise distinct parts of a district. David A. Lieb and Scott Bauer, Journal Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mapmaker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mapmaker was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near mapmaker

Cite this Entry

“Mapmaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mapmaker. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mapmaker

noun
map·​mak·​er ˈmap-ˌmā-kər How to pronounce mapmaker (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on mapmaker

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