canvas

American  

[kan-vuhs] / ˈkæn vəs /

noun

• canvases
  plural

1. a closely woven, heavy cloth of cotton, hemp, or linen, used for tents, sails, etc.

2. a piece of this or similar material on which a painting is made.

3. a painting on canvas.

4. a tent, or tents collectively.

5. sailcloth.

6. sails collectively.

7. any fabric of linen, cotton, or hemp of a coarse loose weave used as a foundation for embroidery stitches, interlining, etc.

8. the floor of a boxing ring traditionally consisting of a canvas covering stretched over a mat.

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Trademark, Digital Technology.

1. Canvas, the brand name for an open-source learning management system, launched in 2011.

idioms

1. under canvas,

   1. Nautical. with set sails.

   2. in tents; in the field.

      the troops under canvas.

canvas British  

/ ˈkænvəs /

noun

1. 1. a heavy durable cloth made of cotton, hemp, or jute, used for sails, tents, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a canvas bag

2. 1. a piece of canvas or a similar material on which a painting is done, usually in oils

   2. a painting on this material, esp in oils

3. a tent or tents collectively

4. nautical any cloth of which sails are made

5. nautical the sails of a vessel collectively

6. any coarse loosely woven cloth on which embroidery, tapestry, etc, is done

7. the floor of a boxing or wrestling ring

8. rowing the tapering covered part at either end of a racing boat, sometimes referred to as a unit of length

   to win by a canvas

9. 1. in tents

   2. nautical with sails unfurled

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• canvaslike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• canvases
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of canvas

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English canevas, from Anglo-French, Old North French, from unattested Vulgar Latin cannabāceus (noun use of adjective), equivalent to Latin cannab(is) + -āceus; see origin at hemp, -aceous

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Explanation

Canvas is a heavy, coarse fabric artists paint on. It's also used to make sails, shoes, tents, or comfy director's chairs. It's a full-service fabric! The noun canvas comes from the Latin cannabis by way of the Greek kannabis, meaning “hemp," which it was originally made of. It usually refers to the canvas we paint on, but you could carry a canvas bag while wearing canvas Converse high-tops. Henry David Thoreau, the poet and philosopher, said, “The world is but a canvas to our imaginations.” Don't confuse it with canvass, with the extra "s" — that's when people try to chat to get your vote.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

canvas canvases

McGee’s own work is also in dialogue with itself: Geometric patterns, inspired in part by Islamic tile designs, share the canvas with his trademark male faces with drooping, melancholic eyes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Dubois registers a second successive stoppage victory over Wardley, just five months after climbing off the canvas twice to dethrone his British rival in a thrilling 11-round contest in Manchester.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

The frame of "Young Woman at the Well" was slightly damaged, while "the canvas of 'Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano' had a tear," Bessone said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

But Mull’s highly accomplished work on canvas, held by some very esteemed institutions, shows the influence of people like Robert Rauschenberg and Anselm Kiefer and combines surrealism with subtle social commentary.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

I was worried about my sketch pad getting wet through the canvas backpack.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

Moving between Hodges’ five paintings at the Getty and the 17th century works that inspired them in the next room, it’s clear the contemporary canvases are neither copies nor straightforward homages.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

He never shooed them away from his canvases, they say, and they grew up hearing him speak about art for hours during museum visits and at art fairs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Although his canvases typically sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars, when he completed a large mural for the Palestinian Museum, his requested fee was only a fig tree to be planted in the garden.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

The intimacy of life and work are everywhere in the canvases, but Vermeer’s “sea of signs,” as Mr. Graham-Dixon calls it, resists reduction to narrative certainty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

There are too many canvases and art supplies and books.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

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Related Words

• art
• artwork
• picture
• piece
• portrait
• watercolor

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