variants
or less commonly canvass
plural canvases also canvasses
1
: a firm closely woven cloth usually of linen, hemp, or cotton used for clothing and formerly much used for tents and sails
2
a
: a piece of cloth backed or framed as a surface for a painting
an artist's canvas
also
: the painting on such a surface
b
: something likened to a painter's canvas
… just up the driveway is an extraordinary piece of garden design. [Ruth] Bancroft is the artist and her canvas is a three-acre patch of land in the midst of suburbia.—
Harriet Chiang
Harriet ChiangIn addition to the cover-up work, [Miryam] Lumpini will turn the dimpled canvas of a young man's back into a magnificent phoenix.—Allure
AllureThe birds were moving art on a canvas of sky and water and endless prairie.—Shannon Tompkins
Shannon Tompkins
c
: the background, setting, or scope of a historical or fictional account or narrative
the crowded canvas of history
3
: a piece of canvas used for a particular purpose
a hammock made of canvas
4
: tent
also
: a group of tents
5
: a set of sails : sail
sailing under full canvas
6
: a stiff material (as of coarse cloth or plastic) that has regular meshes for working with a needle (as in needlepoint)
7
: the canvas-covered floor of a boxing or wrestling ring
canvased or canvassed; canvasing or canvassing
: to cover, line, or furnish with canvas
Synonyms
Examples of canvas in a Sentence
Noun
a tent made of canvas
Use a canvas to cover the boat.
The museum has several canvases by Rubens.
Recent Examples on the Web
Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 19 Nov. 2024
Avs captain Gabe Landeskog took part in the ceremony, gifting Johnson a commemorative canvas print and a trip to Napa Valley.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 18 Nov. 2024
Jade Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Oct. 2024
Detectives are canvasing the area for surveillance footage.
—Ryan Murphy, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Oct. 2024
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Noun
Like modern stadiums, the Colosseum had a retractable roof
In an extraordinary feat of engineering, Romans created a vast retractable canvas awning to shield spectators from the relentless Italian sun.
—Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 19 Nov. 2024
Avs captain Gabe Landeskog took part in the ceremony, gifting Johnson a commemorative canvas print and a trip to Napa Valley.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 18 Nov. 2024
Verb
Indianapolis police will be investigating for several hours to determine what led to the shooting and canvas the area for witnesses.
—Jade Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Oct. 2024
Detectives are canvasing the area for surveillance footage.
—Ryan Murphy, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for canvas
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Dictionary Entries Near canvas
Cite this Entry
“Canvas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canvas. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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