canvasback

noun

can·​vas·​back ˈkan-vəs-ˌbak How to pronounce canvasback (audio)
: a North American wild duck (Aythya valisineria) that has a reddish-brown head, black breast, and whitish body and is characterized especially by the elongate sloping profile of the bill and head

Examples of canvasback in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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But just like any other flight, hitting a good canvasback hunt all depends on timing. Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2025 Like the hen redhead, the female canvasback is drab. M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 30 Nov. 2023 The daily bag limit in each zone can include no more than four mallards (of which two may be hens), three wood ducks, two canvasbacks, two redheads, two black ducks and one pintail. Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 22 Apr. 2023 Five Iceland gulls and a king eider at Black Rock Beach in Cohasset, a canvasback and three tree swallows at Beaver Pond in Franklin and a black vulture at Blue Hills Reservation. Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of canvasback was in 1782

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Cite this Entry

“Canvasback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canvasback. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

canvasback

noun
can·​vas·​back -ˌbak How to pronounce canvasback (audio)
: a North American wild duck with a reddish brown head and black breast

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