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

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

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 The noun canvas comes from the Latin cannabis by way of the Greek kannabis, meaning “hemp," which it was originally made of.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

The Nokia 2210, an acrylic on canvas, depicts the comedian's favourite-ever phone, and features a message saying, Snobs?, referring to a legendary city nightspot.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

He was sensationally rocked by a huge uppercut from underdog Prenga in the opening round, and then hit the canvas again later in the round.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

Some complained on social media that international tourists at Trader Joe’s were buying up all the mini canvas tote bags.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

My current favorite is a Roundup herbicide spot featuring actor Ed Quinn in the same kind of canvas trucker jacket worn by Pedro Pascal in “The Last of Us.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

They had left behind many of the things they had salvaged from Endurance, including the scrap lumber that had made dry floors for their flimsy, canvas tents.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Using shaped canvases and also experimenting with sculpture, the artist deployed boundary-pushing techniques that are represented by works spanning the entirety of his career.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

The artist’s long career swept in artworks made not only on cameras and canvases, but on such things as fax machines and photocopiers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

Whether that was playing on stage with the band, drawing, or painting huge canvases, he was never “sitting around, doing nothing.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

And Nick Jensen’s distemper-and-oil canvases at Tara Downs feel like encountering a Degas in a dream, which begins to rapidly dissolve as we wake up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

Vincent gathers his brushes and his paints, his canvases and his easels, all the painting supplies he’d taken to Drenthe from The Hague, and he walks.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

Related Words

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