canvas /ˈkæn.vəs/noun 9verb 1forms 5phrases 1 noun9 •A type of coarse cloth, woven from hemp (traditionally) or from cotton and polyesters, useful for making sails, tents, and overcoats or as a surface for paintings.The term canvas is very widely used, as well to denote the coarse fabrics employed for kitchen use, as for strainers, and wraps for meat, as for the best quality of ordinary table and shirting linen. — 1882 •A piece of such cloth stretched across a frame on which one may paint an artwork.She is painting a moonlight scene on the canvas. •A mesh of loosely woven cotton strands or molded plastic to be decorated with needlepoint, cross-stitch, rug hooking, or other crafts. •A region on which graphics can be rendered. •(figurative) A basis for creative work.The author takes rural midwestern life as a canvas for a series of tightly woven character studies •A tent.He spent the night under canvas. •Sails in general. •(Nigeria) Athletic shoes. •A rough draft or model of a song, air, or other literary or musical composition; especially one to show a poet the measure of the verses he is to make. verb1 •To cover (an area or object) with canvas. formscanvased · canvassed · canvasing · canvases · canvasses Phrases with canvas on the canvasIn a state of being overwhelmed, defeated, or in a challenging situation.
