canvas

canvas — noun

1. a heavy woven fabric, typically of cotton or hemp, from which tents, sails, outd

1.nounB1
Definition

a heavy woven fabric, typically of cotton or hemp, from which tents, sails, outdoor bags, and durable garments are produced.

Example

The old tent was made of heavy canvas that kept out the rain.

canvas + noun: tent / sail / bag

Sailors repaired the torn canvas sail before the next voyage.

canvas as modifier: canvas sail

Common collocations
  • heavy canvas
  • canvas bag
  • canvas tent
  • canvas sail
  • canvas shoes
Synonyms
  • cotton duck

    a lighter-weight canvas fabric, used mainly for clothing

  • tarpaulin

    a waterproof sheet, often made of canvas but heavier and treated for weather protection

Grammar Patterns

canvas + noun (as modifier)

Usage Note

As a modifier, canvas describes objects made from the fabric, such as canvas tent, canvas bag, or canvas shoes. The uncountable form refers to the material itself.

Common Mistakes

A canvas' (meaning one piece of the material).
A piece of canvas' or 'some canvas
unnumbered material uses uncountable form, except when referring to a specific finished piece like a painting.

2. a piece of strong cloth stretched tight over a wooden frame, on which painters a

2.nounB1
Definition

a piece of strong cloth stretched tight over a wooden frame, on which painters apply oil or acrylic paint; can also refer to the finished artwork.

Example

The artist stretched a fresh canvas onto the wooden frame.

a canvas = a prepared painting surface

Priya bought a small canvas and began painting a portrait of her mother.

Common collocations
  • stretch a canvas
  • canvas board
  • oil on canvas
  • blank canvas
  • canvas print
Synonyms
  • painting

    a broader term — any artwork, not necessarily on canvas

  • oil painting

    a painting done with oil paints, very often on canvas

  • stretched canvas

    a canvas that has already been stretched onto a frame, ready for painting

Grammar Patterns

a canvas

on canvas

painted on canvas

Usage Note

Countable form (a canvas, several canvases) refers to an individual piece of prepared cloth or the finished artwork. 'On canvas' is a fixed phrase meaning 'painted using oil or acrylic on canvas fabric'.

Common Mistakes

He painted the picture on a paper canvas.
He painted the picture on canvas.
canvas is the specific fabric, not a synonym for any painting surface.

3. the experience or condition of living or sleeping in a tent — most often found i

3.nounB2
Definition

the experience or condition of living or sleeping in a tent — most often found in the fixed phrase 'under canvas', used to describe camping, especially as a leisure activity or as temporary accommodation.

Example

The Rodriguez family spent the night under canvas in the Scottish Highlands.

under canvas = camping in a tent

The rain drummed loudly on the canvas above our heads.

the canvas = the tent roof or walls

Common collocations
  • under canvas
  • sleep under canvas
  • live under canvas
  • spend the night under canvas
Synonyms
  • camping

    the broader activity of which 'under canvas' is a specific form

  • tent accommodation

    a more formal way to describe sleeping in a tent

Grammar Patterns

under canvas

Usage Note

'Under canvas' is a fixed British expression meaning 'camping in a tent'. This sense is distinct from sense 1 because it refers to the tent as a shelter or living space, not to canvas as a raw fabric material. Outside the fixed phrase 'under canvas', this sense rarely appears in modern English.

4. the padded floor surface inside a competition arena for boxing or combat wrestli

4.nounB2
Definition

the padded floor surface inside a competition arena for boxing or combat wrestling, traditionally covered with heavy fabric and where a downed opponent may land.

Example

The champion sent his opponent to the canvas in the third round.

to the canvas = knocked down in boxing

The wrestler slammed his rival onto the canvas with a loud thud.

Common collocations
  • hit the canvas
  • on the canvas
  • to the canvas
  • the ring canvas
Synonyms
  • ring floor

    general term for the fighting area surface

Grammar Patterns

the canvas

hit the canvas

Usage Note

Used almost exclusively with the definite article ('the canvas') in fixed boxing phrases: 'hit the canvas', 'knock to the canvas', 'on the canvas'. The term comes from the canvas fabric traditionally covering the ring floor.

Common Mistakes

He was knocked onto the mat.' (in boxing contexts).
He was knocked onto the canvas.
boxing and wrestling use 'canvas', not 'mat', which is for wrestling or gymnastics.

5. the covered front section of a rowing boat, whose length serves as a measurement

5.nounC1
Definition

the covered front section of a rowing boat, whose length serves as a measurement to describe how far one boat leads another during a race.

Example

Cambridge won the boat race by half a canvas.

by a canvas = by a distance equal to the front section of the boat

The Oxford crew led by a canvas at the halfway mark of the race.

Common collocations
  • by a canvas
  • lead by a canvas
  • half a canvas
  • win by a canvas

Grammar Patterns

win by a canvas

Usage Note

Highly specialised term used almost exclusively in competitive rowing commentary. 'A canvas' as a unit of measurement equals approximately 1.5 boat lengths but varies by race course and boat design. Most common in University Boat Race contexts.

Idioms

a blank canvas/slate

idiom

Something or someone that is completely new and can be shaped or changed in many ways.

The empty room was a blank canvas for the new artist.

After the accident, his mind was a blank slate, and he had to relearn everything.

under canvas

idiom

Living or staying in a tent.

The scouts spent the whole weekend under canvas in the forest.

Have you ever slept under canvas during a storm?

canvas — verb

Word family

  • canvaser
    nounC2
  • canvased
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Canvas is a heavy, plain-woven fabric originally made from hemp (the same plant as cannabis) and now usually from cotton. It is stronger and stiffer than most fabrics, designed for durability rather than comfort. Cotton duck is a lighter variant of canvas with a tighter weave — it is used for clothing and lighter bags, while canvas is preferred for tents and sails. Tarpaulin (often shortened to 'tarp') is canvas that has been treated to be waterproof, or a synthetic substitute; it is used outdoors to cover equipment. Denim is a cotton twill fabric that shares canvas's durability but is softer and used for jeans and jackets. In practice: choose canvas for heavy-duty outdoor gear like tents and sails; choose cotton duck for work clothing or craft projects; choose tarpaulin when waterproofing matters; choose denim for everyday clothing.

canvas ↗cotton ducktarpaulindenim ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • canvas bag
  • canvas tent
  • canvas sail
  • canvas shoe
  • canvas belt
  • canvas chair

Phrases

  • hit the canvas
  • on the canvas
  • under canvas
  • by a canvas
  • to the canvas

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld Norman FrenchAnglo-NormanEnglish

The word canvas entered English in the 13th century from Old Norman French 'canevas', which came from Latin 'cannabaceus' meaning 'made of hemp'. The Latin term traces back to 'cannabis' — the hemp plant from whose fibres the first canvas cloth was woven. This botanical origin is why canvas, despite being most commonly made from cotton today, retains its name from the plant it was originally crafted from. The metaphorical use in art ('a painter's canvas') appeared in the early 1700s, and the boxing-ring sense followed in the 1800s.