van

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈvan 

1

a

: a usually enclosed wagon or motortruck used for transportation of goods or animals

also : caravan sense 2a

b

: a multipurpose enclosed motor vehicle having a boxlike shape, rear or side doors, and side panels often with windows

c

: a detachable passenger cabin transportable by aircraft or truck

2

chiefly British : an enclosed railroad freight or baggage car

van

2 of 4

verb

vanned; vanning

transitive verb

: to transport by van

van

3 of 4

noun (2)

: vanguard

van

4 of 4

noun (3)

1

dialectal, England : a winnowing device (such as a fan)

2

: wing sense 1a

Synonyms of van

Noun (2)

• vanguard
• underground
• pioneer

Examples of van in a Sentence

Noun (2)

an artist who was in the van of abstract expressionism

a company that is considered by some to be in the van of the latest technology for renewable energy

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

When my van broke down last summer, your fans gave me the money to fix it. —Chris Willman, Variety, 15 Nov. 2025

Trucks and vans leave in convoys. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Nov. 2025

Verb

Many trainers van their entries in from Santa Anita, Los Alamitos and San Luis Rey Downs for the three-day race weekends – although Del Mar is the only track offering turf training at this time of the year. —Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2025

But what else can van der Kolk buy with this payday? —James Folta, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

short for caravan entry 1

Noun (2)

by shortening

Noun (3)

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Latin vannus, of uncertain origin

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1840, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1607, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing van

• guard's van
• moving van
• removal van
• Rip van Winkle
• van der Waals forces

Rhymes for van

• an
• ban
• bran
• can
• cann
• clan
• duan
• fan
• flan
• gran
• jann
• klan

Kids Definition

van

1 of 2 noun

ˈvan 

: vanguard

van

2 of 2 noun

1

: a usually closed wagon or truck for transporting goods or animals

2

: an enclosed motor vehicle shaped like a box that is used for a variety of purposes and has rear or side doors and side panels often with windows

Etymology

Noun

a shortened form of vanguard

Noun

a shortened form of caravan "vehicle"