To sift; to strain; to examine thoroughly; to scrutinize; as, to canvass the votes cast at an election; to canvass a district with reference to its probable vote. I have made careful search on all hands, and canvassed the matter with all possible diligence. Woodward.
To examine by discussion; to debate. An opinion that we are likely soon to canvass. Sir W. Hamilton.
To go trough, with personal solicitation or public addresses; as, to canvass a district for votes; to canvass a city for subscriptions.
To search thoroughly; to engage in solicitation by traversing a district; as, to canvass for subscriptions or for votes; to canvass for a book, a publisher, or in behalf of a charity; -- commonly followed by for.
Close inspection; careful review for verification; as, a canvass of votes. Bacon.
Examination in the way of discussion or debate.
Search; exploration; solicitation; systematic effort to obtain votes, subscribers, etc. No previous canvass was made for me. Burke.
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