can·vass
| \ ˈkan-vəs
\
\
variants:
or less commonly canvas
canvassed; canvassing
Definition of canvass
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
2a
: to examine in detail
specifically
: to examine (votes) officially for authenticity
: to seek orders or votes : solicit
was canvassing for a seat in Congress
canvass
noun
variants:
or less commonly canvas
Definition of canvass (Entry 2 of 2)
: 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
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Meanwhile, this summer the state will launch teams to canvass neighborhoods in 10 Connecticut cities, much like a door-to-door political campaign.
—
Alex Putterman, courant.com, "Lagging in COVID-19 vaccinations, Hartford steps up campaign to reach city residents," 28 Mar. 2021
With Safe and Sound and the Fire Department, Lipski and Zamarripa rallied volunteers to help canvass neighborhoods in Zamarripa's district.
—
Drake Bentley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee Fire Department found a gas leak when canvassing a neighborhood to install smoke detectors," 4 Mar. 2021
The group used these findings to figure out which houses to canvass for more data, Wheeler said.
—
Slone Terranella, Detroit Free Press, "200 Benton Harbor, Highland Park homes will receive free in-home plumbing," 20 Mar. 2021
Law enforcement collected evidence and continue to canvass the neighborhood for potential witnesses and possible video recordings of the incident.
—
Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, "Lethal explosives found, disabled at Sacramento elementary school before children arrived, officials say," 2 Mar. 2021
The curfew was implemented via executive order to limit public access to the area as investigators continue to canvass the scene.
—
Kimberlee Kruesi, Time, "Widespread Communication Outages Continue After Nashville Blast," 26 Dec. 2020
The curfew was implemented via executive order to limit public access to the area as investigators continue to canvass the scene.
—
CBS News, "Widespread outages and search for clues continue following Nashville explosion: "The damage is shocking"," 26 Dec. 2020
So far, the Bloomberg organization is spending a large chunk of its money to pay an army of people to canvass for Biden door to door.
—
Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, "Will Florida Decide the Presidential Race or Throw It Into Confusion?," 28 Oct. 2020
Democrats had been more hesitant to canvass voters in-person before Nov. 3 because of the pandemic, according to Bullock.
—
Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner, "Was Trump right about Kelly Loeffler? He wanted Doug Collins all along," 9 Jan. 2021
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Two ballots were excluded from the initial canvass because a machine wouldn’t let the voters cast them through curbside voting.
—
Time, "A Democrat Is Challenging the Election Result in Her District. Republicans Are Seizing the Moment," 26 Mar. 2021
Require board approval for the clerk to hire any associate who would help with the canvass.
—
Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan GOP senators file 39 election reform bills Democrats call racist, based on lies," 25 Mar. 2021
Jacobs signed the canvass Monday following the completion of recounts in Dane and Milwaukee counties that Trump paid for.
—
Scott Bauer, Star Tribune, "Republicans call for resignation of Wisconsin election chair," 1 Dec. 2020
As of Tuesday evening, Owens was ahead by nearly 4,000 votes, although final results won’t be certified until the Nov. 23 canvass.
—
Bryan Schott, The Salt Lake Tribune, "Without evidence, Republican Burgess Owens accuses Democrats of election fraud," 18 Nov. 2020
The outcome of Wednesday's hearing will determine whether county election officials can proceed with the canvass as planned.
—
Andrew Oxford, The Arizona Republic, "Court challenge could delay certification of Maricopa County election results," 17 Nov. 2020
Deadline to request non-mandatory recount: On the first business day following the canvass.
—
USA Today, "Georgia is heading for a recount over close Trump-Biden race. How does that work? How long will it take?," 7 Nov. 2020
For young people growing up during a global pandemic, the future is a blank canvass to create new possibilities.
—
Kian Bakhtiari, Forbes, "Cultural Trends That Will Shape Consumer Behavior In 2021 And Beyond," 27 Feb. 2021
The vote to switch to a canvass, or firehouse primary, failed on a 34-36 vote with five abstentions.
—
Matthew Barakat, Star Tribune, "Virginia GOP to choose nominees at convention in Lynchburg," 24 Feb. 2021
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'canvass.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Last Updated
5 Apr 2021
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Cite this Entry
“Canvass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canvass. Accessed 21 Apr. 2021.
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More Definitions for canvass
canvass
verb
English Language Learners Definition of canvass
: to ask (the people in an area) what they think about a candidate, project, idea, etc.
: to talk to the people in an area in order to get them to support a candidate, project, idea, etc.
somewhat formal
: to look at or consider (something) carefully
See the full definition for canvass in the English Language Learners Dictionary
canvass
verb
can·vass
| \ ˈkan-vəs
\
\
canvassed; canvassing
Kids Definition of canvass
: to go to (people) to ask for votes, contributions, or orders for goods or to determine public opinion
canvass
verb
can·vass
variants:
also canvas \
ˈkan-vəs
\
\
canvassed also canvased; canvassing also canvasing
Legal Definition of canvass
1a
: 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
: to seek or solicit orders or votes
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Time Traveler for canvass
The first known use of canvass was in 1508
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