canvas

1 of 2

noun

can·​vas ˈkan-vəs 

variants or less commonly canvass

plural canvases also canvasses

1

: a firm closely woven cloth usually of linen, hemp, or cotton used for clothing and formerly much used for tents and sails

2

a

: a piece of cloth backed or framed as a surface for a painting

an artist's canvas

also : the painting on such a surface

b

: something likened to a painter's canvas

… just up the driveway is an extraordinary piece of garden design. [Ruth] Bancroft is the artist and her canvas is a three-acre patch of land in the midst of suburbia.

—Harriet Chiang

In addition to the cover-up work, [Miryam] Lumpini will turn the dimpled canvas of a young man's back into a magnificent phoenix.

—Allure

The birds were moving art on a canvas of sky and water and endless prairie.

—Shannon Tompkins

c

: the background, setting, or scope of a historical or fictional account or narrative

the crowded canvas of history

3

: a piece of canvas used for a particular purpose

a hammock made of canvas

4

: tent

also : a group of tents

5

: a set of sails : sail

sailing under full canvas

6

: a stiff material (as of coarse cloth or plastic) that has regular meshes for working with a needle (as in needlepoint)

7

: the canvas-covered floor of a boxing or wrestling ring

canvaslike

ˈkan-vəs-ˌlīk 

adjective

canvas

2 of 2

verb

canvased or canvassed; canvasing or canvassing

transitive verb

: to cover, line, or furnish with canvas

Did you know?

Canvas vs. Canvass

The much more common verb, with meanings that include "to examine in detail" and "to ask (the people in an area) for their opinions or to request their support," is usually spelled canvass but occassionally is also spelled canvas.

Synonyms of canvas

Noun

• painting

Examples of canvas in a Sentence

Noun

a tent made of canvas

Use a canvas to cover the boat.

The museum has several canvases by Rubens.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The exhibit serves as a perfect canvas to include even more movie icons. — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026

But recent court filings have raised a new mystery beyond the canvas. — Janay Kingsberry, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026

The upper’s made of clean white canvas and is sure to go with every casual summer outfit, from a sundress to a breezy linen set. — Cheryl Wagemann, InStyle, 2 July 2026

On the Fourth of July, New York Harbor will fill with white canvas and slender hulls. — Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 30 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English canevas, from Anglo-French canevas, chanevaz, from Vulgar Latin *cannabaceus hempen, from Latin cannabis hemp — more at cannabis

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1556, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing canvas

• under canvas

Rhymes for canvas

• canvass

Kids Definition

canvas

noun

can·​vas

ˈkan-vəs

1

a

: a strong cloth of hemp, flax, or cotton used for clothing and formerly much used for tents and sails

b

: a piece of cloth used as a surface for painting

also : a painting on such a surface

2

: something made of canvas

3

: a stiff material (as of coarse cloth or plastic) that has regular meshes for working with a needle (as in needlepoint)