“Canvases” or “Canvasses”—Which to use?

“Canvases” or “Canvasses”

Overview

canvases / canvasses are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term. 👇

Definitions

canvases: (noun) a heavy, closely woven fabric (used for clothing or chairs or sails or tents). (noun) an oil painting on canvas fabric. (noun) the setting for a narrative or fictional or dramatic account. (noun) the mat that forms the floor of the ring in which boxers or professional wrestlers compete. (verb) cover with canvas.

canvasses: (verb) solicit votes from potential voters in an electoral campaign.

Pronunciation

canvases: k·AE·n·v·ah·s·ih·z

canvasses: k·AE·n·v·ah·s·ih·z

Trends

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Examples in Context

Examples of “canvases”

…the range), canvas panels, stretched canvases, mountboards and artists' luggage.
…sell as readily as smaller canvases such as landscapes or portraits,…
…semicircular apse, contains the following canvases:
…in sentiment" of Seurat's major canvases.
…not included among the large canvases listed in his "ésthetique" of
…Texas themed photos to photo-emulsion canvases on a large scale and…
…soft luster, which make his canvases ... a joy to contemplate.
Gerhard paints large-scale canvases of rural communities, but with…
New Goyard woven canvases
…with his work in photo-emulsion canvases, which quickly drew attention in…

Examples of “canvasses”

…through fabric to produce textured canvasses.
…included applying paint to human canvasses as well as the walls…

(Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions drawn from WordNet.)

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