- present participle of canvass.
canvassing
Americannoun
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the act or process of soliciting votes, subscriptions, opinions, etc., especially from individuals.
Although social media definitely impacted their campaign, it was the door-to-door canvassing that made them successful.
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the act or process of examining or investigating something carefully, often through debate or discussion.
As we can see from even a limited canvassing of the issues in education, the challenges we face at this time come from within and without.
Etymology
Origin of canvassing
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.
Covering Congress, I’ve spoken to moderate lawmakers beginning to experiment with social media hits, door knocking for signatures and grassroots canvassing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Long before the Supreme Court handed down the landmark Obergefell ruling on equal marriage in 2015, activists were canvassing door to door, courting any lawmaker who would listen, and losing at the local level—a lot.
From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2026
All this, of course, assumes both a successful round of peace talks between Washington and Tehran, and buy-in from Republican lawmakers who face a difficult reelection landscape when midterm canvassing begins in early September.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
One canvasser, Timothy Nikonorov, explained that he had been an active volunteer with Mamdani’s campaign before becoming a frequent canvasser for Park, and an occasional canvassing lead.
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2026
Quickly canvassing the room, they come up with the first solid leads about Lincoln’s murder.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
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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.