canvas

1 of 4

noun (1)

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 4

verb (1)

canvased or canvassed; canvasing or canvassing

transitive verb

: to cover, line, or furnish with canvas

canvass

3 of 4

verb (2)

can·​vass ˈkan-vəs 

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

4 of 4

noun (2)

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

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 (1)

• painting

Verb (2)

• survey
• interview

Examples of canvas in a Sentence

Noun (1)

a tent made of canvas

Use a canvas to cover the boat.

The museum has several canvases by Rubens.

Verb (2)

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

Noun

Early in 2024, taggers began turning Oceanwide Plaza’s skyscrapers into canvases for graffiti. — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026

The film folds a police procedural into a much larger political canvas, tracking the British colonial government, the Hong Kong police, a powerful business dynasty and the criminal underworld as the territory changes hands. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 23 July 2026

Verb

Both have focused more on canvassing and get-out-the-vote efforts. — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026

Early in his time as CEO, Van Saun canvassed all 18,000 of his employees, looking for suggestions on how to run the bank better. — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 24 July 2026

Noun

The downtown Chicago Magnolia Bakery location had previously failed an inspection on April 21 for various infractions including food debris, dust buildup and chipping paint, but then passed a canvass re-inspection on April 28. — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026

During the canvass last month, it was confirmed that five provisional ballots did not change the outcome of runoff results. — Angela George, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 8 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1), Verb (1), Verb (2), and Noun (2)

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

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1556, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1508, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Noun (2)

circa 1611, 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)