canvass

1 of 2

verb

can·​vass ˈkan-vəs How to pronounce canvass (audio)
variants or less commonly canvas
canvassed; canvassing

transitive verb

1
: to go through (a district) or go to (persons) in order to solicit orders or political support or to determine opinions or sentiments
canvass voters
canvassed the neighborhood to solicit magazine subscriptions
2
a
: to examine in detail
specifically : to examine (votes) officially for authenticity
b
: discuss, debate
canvassed all the items on the agenda
3
obsolete : to toss in a canvas sheet in sport or punishment

intransitive verb

: to seek orders or votes : solicit
was canvassing for a seat in Congress
canvasser noun
or less commonly canvaser

canvass

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly canvas
: the act or an instance of canvassing
especially : a personal solicitation of votes or survey of public opinion
a house-to-house canvass to ascertain the vote before the election

Examples of canvass in a Sentence

Verb A team of volunteers is canvassing the city for the Republican Party. We go to every house to canvass voters. She is canvassing for one of the presidential candidates this year. The group has been canvassing neighborhoods to ask people to vote for him. The company canvassed several sites for a new factory.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Fortunately, performing due diligence—covering pre-acquisition, acquisition and post-acquisition—is easier in the cloud than, say, canvassing an organization's departments for on-premises systems information. Avi Shua, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Officers canvassed the 2000 block of Tupelo Way and found the scene of the shooting. George Avalos, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2024 An afternoon session focused on tips for canvassing in their neighborhoods and at their schools. Deborah Barfield Berry, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2024 Police canvassed the neighborhood — which authorities did not identify — to remove any additional fliers and search for any homes or businesses that could have useful video surveillance. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2024 Several other officers were seen canvassing the area, going door to door at nearby homes and businesses. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024 Thousands of volunteers across the country spent a night in January canvassing their communities to look for people who may be experiencing homelessness, as part of the government's annual Point-in-Time count. Jared Kofsky, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2024 Detectives canvassed the area for witnesses, and crime scene investigators processed the scene for evidence. Andrea Klick, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2024 As investigators canvassed the immediate area after Moriah Wilson's shooting, police discovered her expensive racing bicycle had been discarded in the bushes. Jonathan Vigliotti, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2024
Noun
These early election results will change throughout the ballot counting canvass period as vote-by-mail ballots, provisional ballots and other ballots are tallied. Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024 Other times, mistakes aren’t spotted until the canvass that is part of the certification process. Joedy McCreary, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 The group led a canvass over the weekend in an effort to find him. Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 24 Feb. 2024 This included a wave of activism by young people like Abra Lisowski, a college junior in Cleveland who volunteered to canvass in support of the measure. Monica Potts, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2023 Candidates spent the run-up to Election Day hosting last-minute get-out-the-vote rallies and canvasses, and some were door-knocking even in the waning hours of voting Tuesday. CBS News, 7 Nov. 2023 Hogg was back for canvass launches and door-knocking scheduled through Election Day, and Pelosi planned a return on Saturday, including an event at Mount Vernon. Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 5 Nov. 2023 The canvass count reflected 422 ballots cast on Election Day from that precinct, but a hand count found 600. Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 29 Dec. 2022 The Vermont State Police conducted a house-to-house canvass of the area near the Rail Trail Thursday night but did not locate anyone. Louis Casiano, Fox News, 6 Oct. 2023

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

Word History

Etymology

Verb

see canvas entry 1

Noun

see canvas entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1508, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Noun

circa 1611, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of canvass was in 1508

Dictionary Entries Near canvass

Cite this Entry

“Canvass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canvass. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

canvass

1 of 2 verb
can·​vass ˈkan-vəs How to pronounce canvass (audio)
: to go through (a district) or go to (people) to ask for votes, contributions, or orders or to determine public opinion
canvasser noun

canvass

2 of 2 noun
: an act of canvassing

Legal Definition

canvass

verb
can·​vass
variants also canvas
canvassed also canvased; canvassing also canvasing

transitive verb

1
a
: to examine in detail
specifically : to examine (votes) officially for authenticity
b
: to make the subject of discussion or debate
2
: to go through (a district) or go to (persons) in order to solicit orders or political support or to determine opinions or sentiments

intransitive verb

: to seek or solicit orders or votes

More from Merriam-Webster on canvass

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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