canvasser

American  

[kan-vuhs-er] / ˈkæn vəs ər /

noun

1. a person who solicits votes, subscriptions, donations, opinions, or the like, especially by phone or door-to-door.

   Besides raising funds, canvassers also leave important information for residents regarding heart health.

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Etymology

Origin of canvasser

First recorded in 1595–1605, for an earlier sense; 1790–1800, for the current sense; canvass ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Tonight, I’m shadowing Elly Mui, who’s been with the campaign since January—first as a paid canvasser in the run-up to the primary, which Mamdani won in a surprise upset, and as a volunteer ever since.

From Slate • Oct. 27, 2025

Sanchez, 27, worked as a paid canvasser for the Democratic Party of Georgia in 2020 and as an organizer for the “Stop Cop City” effort.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 1, 2024

One canvasser sought signatures at a Tijuana school, where he was seen falsifying addresses for signers who weren’t California voters.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2023

It was unclear whether Mr. Paiz could see the boy through the door, or whether the boy had identified himself as a canvasser with the Warnock campaign before the shot was fired.

From New York Times • Dec. 2, 2022

I have never done anything; I have never been a doer, a canvasser, a wirepuller, a manager, in the ordinary sense of these words.

From My Autobiography A Fragment by Müller, F. Max (Friedrich Max)