variants
also canvasing
1
as in interviewing
to go around and approach (people) with a request for opinions or information
we canvassed people all over town, asking if they would be interested in participating in a recycling program
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discussing
to talk about (an issue) usually from various points of view and for the purpose of arriving at a decision or opinion
canvassed all the items on the agenda
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of canvassing
Sheriff’s department patrol officers responded, canvassing locations to which Webber might have fled.
—
Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
Police have gone back to canvassing the neighborhood and paying specific attention to an empty house close to where Guthrie was kidnapped.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 23 Mar. 2026
Investigators began canvassing the area, looking at surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
Four on-duty officers began canvassing the area in their patrol cars, and checking with local businesses for cameras or possible sightings.
—Sarah Dahlberg, NBC news, 16 Mar. 2026
Sheriff's deputies and other emergency responders were canvassing the community to check for injuries and assess the damage.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2026
Police canvassing the area found the victim behind the wheel of a gray Chevrolet Equinox with a Florida license plate that sideswiped three vehciles before coming to a stop outside the Coney Island Houses, about a block from where the shooting was reported.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026
Detectives were still canvassing the area for witnesses Thursday evening, Becchina said.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
In multiple past municipal elections, the Supervisor of Elections has requested that Wellington designate the county canvassing board to canvass its elections, eliminating the need for Wellington to convene its own separate canvassing board.
—South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
Police have gone back to canvassing the neighborhood and paying specific attention to an empty house close to where Guthrie was kidnapped.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 23 Mar. 2026
Investigators began canvassing the area, looking at surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
Four on-duty officers began canvassing the area in their patrol cars, and checking with local businesses for cameras or possible sightings.
—Sarah Dahlberg, NBC news, 16 Mar. 2026
Sheriff's deputies and other emergency responders were canvassing the community to check for injuries and assess the damage.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2026
Police canvassing the area found the victim behind the wheel of a gray Chevrolet Equinox with a Florida license plate that sideswiped three vehciles before coming to a stop outside the Coney Island Houses, about a block from where the shooting was reported.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026
Detectives were still canvassing the area for witnesses Thursday evening, Becchina said.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
In multiple past municipal elections, the Supervisor of Elections has requested that Wellington designate the county canvassing board to canvass its elections, eliminating the need for Wellington to convene its own separate canvassing board.
—South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canvassing
Verb
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The film features Roher, who won an Oscar for his 2022 doc about Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, interviewing AI titans like Altman, Anthropic’s Daniela and Dario Amodei and Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis.—
Rebecca Keegan,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
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The department also pointed to internal FBI notes showing agents had planned to close out the investigation weeks before interviewing Flynn about Kislyak.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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State officials are also discussing possible rebate checks for taxpayers to help blunt high energy costs.—
Matthew Daly,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
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The complaint says Heifler spent weeks discussing the plot with the undercover law enforcement official, and at one point went to scope out Kiswani's home.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Picking a souvenir in Sanibel is as simple as squatting down in the sand and surveying the spoils.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
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The first poll will reflect responses from 2,000 likely voters, surveying them on the Democratic and Republican candidates.—
Linh Tat,
Daily News,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Lawmakers are debating a major tax incentive package aimed at keeping the bears in Illinois.—
Marissa Perlman,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
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On a school night in 1986, Kim Reed — then a Duke senior — sat in a common room with her friends, debating when to line up for that Sunday’s Duke-UNC game.—
Storey Wertheimer,
NBC news,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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According to the judge’s order, Homeland Security is arguing that the legal basis of the deportations stems from a Biden-era agreement in which Mexico agreed to accept up to 30,000 Cubans, Nicaraguans, Haitians and Venezuelans monthly.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
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The manager of a nearby bodega said the victims were arguing with another teen before the shooting erupted.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Canvassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canvassing. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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