variants
or less commonly canvas
canvassed; canvassing
1
: to go through (a district) or go to (persons) in order to solicit orders or political support or to determine opinions or sentiments
canvass voters
canvassed the neighborhood to solicit magazine subscriptions
2
3
obsolete
: to toss in a canvas sheet in sport or punishment
: to seek orders or votes : solicit
was canvassing for a seat in Congress
canvasser
noun
or less commonly canvaser
variants
or less commonly canvas
: the act or an instance of canvassing
especially
: a personal solicitation of votes or survey of public opinion
a house-to-house canvass to ascertain the vote before the election
Synonyms
Examples of canvass in a Sentence
Verb
A team of volunteers is canvassing the city for the Republican Party.
We go to every house to canvass voters.
She is canvassing for one of the presidential candidates this year.
The group has been canvassing neighborhoods to ask people to vote for him.
The company canvassed several sites for a new factory.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
Of the 2200 companies of 1000 or more employees that study authors canvassed, 61% had a structured hybrid model, and 21% offered full flexibility.
—Aliza Knox, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024
Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 13 Nov. 2024
The nature of California’s new system of largely vote-by-mail ballots, and a 30-day canvass period in which election officials can resolve problem ballots, certify results, and conduct an audit, prolongs the release of official final results.
—Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for canvass 
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Verb
Election results in Arizona are unofficial until local officials have tabulated and canvassed the results.
—Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
Of the 2200 companies of 1000 or more employees that study authors canvassed, 61% had a structured hybrid model, and 21% offered full flexibility.
—Aliza Knox, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024
Noun
The lawsuit said the canvass of the absentee ballots should be completed first, and that had not happened as of Wednesday.
—Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 13 Nov. 2024
The nature of California’s new system of largely vote-by-mail ballots, and a 30-day canvass period in which election officials can resolve problem ballots, certify results, and conduct an audit, prolongs the release of official final results.
—Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for canvass
Dictionary Entries Near canvass
Cite this Entry
“Canvass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canvass. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
canvass
1 of 2 verb
can·vass
ˈkan-vəs 
: to go through (a district) or go to (people) to ask for votes, contributions, or orders or to determine public opinion
canvasser
noun
canvass
2 of 2 noun
: an act of canvassing
Legal Definition
canvass
verb
can·vass
variants
also canvas
canvassed also canvased; canvassing also canvasing
1
a
: to examine in detail
specifically
: to examine (votes) officially for authenticity
b
: to make the subject of discussion or debate
2
: to go through (a district) or go to (persons) in order to solicit orders or political support or to determine opinions or sentiments
: to seek or solicit orders or votes
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