vanguard

noun

van·​guard ˈvan-ˌgärd 

 also  ˈvaŋ-

1

: the forefront of an action or movement

2

: the troops moving at the head of an army

vanguardism

ˈvan-ˌgär-ˌdi-zəm 

 also  ˈvaŋ-

noun

vanguardist

ˈvan-ˌgär-dist 

 also  ˈvaŋ-

noun

Did you know?

Vanguard comes from Anglo-French avantgarde, from avant, meaning "before," and garde, "guard." In medieval times, avantgarde referred to the troops that marched at the head of the army. In time, vanguard marched its way as a word for the group of people who are the leaders of an action or movement in society, politics, art, etc.

Synonyms

• avant-garde
• cutting edge
• van

Examples of vanguard in a Sentence

a style of jazz that the vanguard quickly recognized as new and exciting

talk radio is often regarded as being in the vanguard of the conservative movement

Recent Examples on the Web

The sense that reopened doors to a market of hundreds of millions of potential fans and recent pledges between Korea, China, and Japan to deepen economic ties could be an important cultural vanguard for greater future harmony and opportunity. —Jeff Benjamin, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

Ghazi is part of a vanguard of ultrarich investors betting on a particularly down-and-out asset: San Francisco commercial real estate. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2025

Seventy Times Seven: A True Story of Murder and Mercy by Alex Mar The Little Review, the radical and short-lived magazine helmed by Jane Heap and Margaret Anderson, was a vanguard of modernism in American culture. —The New York Review of Books, 29 Nov. 2024

Writer-director Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, out December 25, aims to lead the latest in the fang-banging vanguard. —Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 25 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English vauntgard, borrowed from Anglo-French vantgarde, avantgarde, from avant- "fore-" (from avant "before," going back to Late Latin abante) + garde guard entry 1 — more at advance entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing vanguard

• at the vanguard
• the vanguard

Rhymes for vanguard

• asgard
• backyard
• barnyard
• blackguard
• bombard
• brickyard
• canard
• churchyard
• coastguard
• courtyard
• debarred
• diehard

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Kids Definition

vanguard

noun

van·​guard ˈvan-ˌgärd 

1

: the troops moving at the head of an army

2

: the forefront of an action or movement

Etymology

Middle English vauntgard "the troops moving at the head of an army," from early French vantgarde, avantgarde (same meaning), derived from avant- "fore-, in front" and garde "guard"