Canvas is a heavy cloth—usually waterproof and air-proof—made of cotton, hemp, or flax, which is traditionally used for the sails on boats, as the backing for paintings, or in tents and other protective cloth coverings.
One can call the piece of canvas behind a painting, “a canvas,” but in other cases it refers to the general substance or material, as in when someone is referring to "some canvas."
She placed a blank canvas on her easel to begin to paint.
The boat’s sails were made of much canvas.
One can also use canvas as a verb, meaning “to put a canvas on a frame” for painting.
Canvass, on the other hand, means “to ask many people the same questions about a topic,” as in, typically, door-to-door political canvassing.
It can also describe going door-to-door purely to raise money or votes for a cause. As a noun, it can describe this effort, or any discussion in which several people are asked for their opinion on the same topic:
I will canvass everyone in the house to find out what kind of pizza we need.
More Examples of How to Use "Canvas" in a Sentence
- Once you've chosen a subject, you can start sketching out your idea on canvas.
- Nate was painting on a large canvas in the guest room.
- Canvas is also a popular material for making bags, purses, and totes.
- The canvas was torn and ragged, but it didn’t stop me from painting another masterpiece.
- A blank canvas is a daunting task for any artist, but it's also where the magic happens.
- The texture and feel of a canvas is unique and provides the perfect surface for any type of artwork.
- It's amazing what can be done with just a piece of canvas and some paint or ink.
- Ginny’s really talented, and she can do anything with a canvas.
- John said he wants 4 feet x 16 feet of canvas for his tent, and it happens to be on sale at the campground store.
- A good quality canvas is durable and will last for many years, but It’s important to choose the right type of canvas for the project you are working on.
- The company is going to send us all blank canvases so that we can paint our own designs on them.
- Leo bought some canvas at the art store and plans to paint a picture for his mom's birthday.
More Examples of How to Use "Canvass" in a Sentence
- The town's mayor announced a plan to canvass the area for signatures on the petition.
- The canvassers were out in full force, knocking on doors and asking for votes
- The field officer has canvassed the entire neighborhood for signs of the fugitive.
- Natasha came up with the idea of canvassing the neighborhood for potential backers.
- In my spare time, I walk onto my street and canvass the area for trash or recyclables.
- I’d like to canvass your opinion on this issue.
- I’ve been canvassing my neighborhood for information about the new development coming in.
- I need you to canvass the building and find out who's still in there.
- I'm going to canvass my neighborhood this weekend to see if anyone is interested in my new product.