canvass
Americanverb (used with object)
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to solicit votes, subscriptions, opinions, or the like from.
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to examine carefully; investigate by inquiry; discuss; debate.
- Synonyms:
- explore, scrutinize, analyze
verb (used without object)
noun
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a soliciting of votes, orders, or the like.
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a campaign for election to government office.
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close inspection; scrutiny.
the official canvass of election results.
verb
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to solicit votes, orders, advertising, etc, from
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to determine the feelings and opinions of (voters before an election, etc), esp by conducting a survey
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to investigate (something) thoroughly, esp by discussion or debate
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to inspect (votes) officially to determine their validity
noun
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a solicitation of opinions, votes, sales orders, etc
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close inspection; scrutiny
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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canvassernoun
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canvassingnoun
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undercanvassverb
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precanvassverb (used with object)
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uncanvassedadjective
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well-canvassedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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canvasssimple
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canvassessimple
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have canvassedperfect
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has canvassedperfect
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am canvassingprogressive
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are canvassingprogressive
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is canvassingprogressive
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have been canvassingperfect progressive
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has been canvassingperfect progressive
Past
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canvassedsimple
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had canvassedperfect
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was canvassingprogressive
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were canvassingprogressive
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had been canvassingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of canvass
First recorded in 1500–10; originally a spelling variant of canvas, as a verb; the sense “discuss” apparently a development of the earlier senses “toss in a canvas sheet,” and “harshly criticize”; the sense “solicit votes” is obscurely derived
Explanation
A canvass is a poll, usually a political one. Around elections, political parties often canvass particular neighborhoods, looking for votes and trying to measure the pulse of the people. You might think of canvass as the heavy cotton cloth that is pronounced the same although spelled with only one s, that is, canvas. Canvas is used to cover things, and a canvass serves the same sort of purpose. Before elections, politicians want to cover their neighborhoods and districts with canvasses, campaign workers, flyers and the like in hopes of securing votes.
Vocabulary lists containing canvass
Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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Grade 12, List 6
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March: Book Three
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Dimon told JPMorgan bankers late last summer to canvass clients who might be receptive to taking money from the government in “public-private partnerships” like the MP Materials deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Police could canvass neighborhoods, interview witnesses, check traffic cameras, maybe pull hotel records or receipts.
From Slate ● May 20, 2026
Rand’s researchers, who canvass the three neighborhoods every two months, found that the shortfalls coincide with an increase in the percentage of people “sleeping rough,” without the protection of a vehicle or tent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025
It was also fitting that a playmaker that has created such artistry on the grass canvass has had a huge mural painted of him in Manchester's Northern Quarter.
From BBC ● May 20, 2025
Geyer knew what to look for in Detroit and, with the assistance of another police detective, once again began a patient canvass of hotels and boardinghouses.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and Pablo Picasso all brushed their canvasses with it.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 29, 2024
Candidates for both parties spent the run-up to Election Day hosting last-minute get-out-the-vote rallies and canvasses.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 6, 2023
Museum director Lasse Andersson said that he had laughed out loud when he first saw the two blank canvasses in 2021, and decided to show the works anyway.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2023
As mayor, Balen canvasses large swaths of the city every day to assess the status of his engineering projects.
From New York Times ● May 12, 2023
Given a new paint-box, palette, brushes, and canvasses, together with a burning enthusiasm but no time, the answer does not always spell High Art.
From Loyal to the School by Brazil, Angela
That poll, commissioned by the annuity provider Global Atlantic, canvassed just over 1,000 consumers between the ages of 55 and 75 with between $250,000 and $2 million in investible assets.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
Only a net 17% of asset managers now expect lower policy rates from central banks whereas that figure was 46% when they were canvassed in February.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 17, 2026
In the hour before the event began, I canvassed the happy-hour attendees for their attitudes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
After she was shot, investigators from the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office and Pinetop Police Department secured the scene, acquired a search warrant and canvassed the neighborhood, Clouse said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2025
She organized a group of sixty women who canvassed the state of New York, collecting ten thousand signatures on petitions.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
The north London MP has threatened to begin canvassing support if Sir Keir's address leaves her "dissatisfied" with his plan to turn the party's fortunes around.
From BBC ● May 10, 2026
They had reached out to their local and state Democratic Party organizations asking how they might help — maybe doorknocking, or canvassing — but had not gotten a response.
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2026
The left-wing organization, which has about 5,000 members, is known for running strong ground game campaigns that include canvassing, door-knocking and phone banking.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 22, 2026
Eralp said she is modeling her campaign, with its focus on door-to-door canvassing, on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026
At the Meetings Snowball often won over the majority by his brilliant speeches, but Napoleon was better at canvassing support for himself in between times.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
