canvas meaning and definition

CANVAS noun

Definition of canvas (noun)

1. a heavy, closely woven fabric (used for clothing or chairs or sails or tents)
   • synonyms: canvass
2. an oil painting on canvas fabric
   • synonyms: canvass
3. the setting for a narrative or fictional or dramatic account
   • "the crowded canvas of history"; "the movie demanded a dramatic canvas of sound"
   • synonyms: canvass
4. a tent made of canvas fabric
   • synonyms: canvas tent, canvass
5. a large piece of fabric (usually canvas fabric) by means of which wind is used to propel a sailing vessel
   • synonyms: canvass, sail, sheet
6. the mat that forms the floor of the ring in which boxers or professional wrestlers compete
   • "the boxer picked himself up off the canvas"
   • synonyms: canvass

CANVAS verb

Definition of canvas (verb)

1. solicit votes from potential voters in an electoral campaign
   • synonyms: canvass
2. get the opinions (of people) by asking specific questions
   • synonyms: canvass, poll
3. cover with canvas
   • "She canvassed the walls of her living room so as to conceal the ugly cracks"
4. consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
   • "analyze a sonnet by Shakespeare"; "analyze the evidence in a criminal trial"; "analyze your real motives"
   • synonyms: analyse, analyze, canvass, examine, study