vanguard

play

noun van·guard \ ˈvan-ˌgärd also ˈvaŋ- \

Definition of vanguard

1 :the forefront of an action or movement

2 :the troops moving at the head of an army

—

vanguardism

play \ˈvan-ˌgär-ˌdi-zəm also ˈvaŋ-\ noun

—

vanguardist

play \ˈvan-ˌgär-dist also ˈvaŋ-\ noun

See vanguard defined for English-language learners

See vanguard defined for kids

vanguard was our Word of the Day on 01/22/2017. Hear the podcast!

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 of vanguard from the Web

Local law enforcement’s centuries-old legacy as the vanguard for white power, and, in turn, minority subjugation, is not lost on either of them.

— talmon joseph smith, GQ, "The Trump Administration Reinstated the Pipeline That Gives Local Police Military Weapons," 30 Aug. 2017
GEO, which began as Wackenhut Corrections, was in the vanguard of the private prison industry movement, landing its first federal contract in 1987 to manage an immigration detention center.

— Philly.com, "Why private prisons everywhere need to be put out of business," 25 Aug. 2017
The President then indicated that those who use drugs are also those in the vanguard of anti-American protest.

— olivia b. waxman, Time, "The Story Behind That Famous Photo of Elvis Presley and Richard Nixon," 15 Aug. 2017
The vanguard of regulatory action is Europe, where national capitals and the EC, the European Union’s executive arm, are putting the screws to U.S. tech firms.

— jeff john roberts, Fortune, "Why Google, Facebook, and Amazon Should Worry About Europe," 20 July 2017
For a military that has been at the vanguard of some of the nation’s most important transformations—

— patrick granfield, The Atlantic, "Why Trump Should Embrace America's Immigrant Soldiers," 4 July 2017
A vanguard of digital payment providers was well-positioned for the shift.

— anto antony, Bloomberg.com, "Cash Won’t Be Obsolete in India Anytime Soon," 29 June 2017
The collection explores the rise of modern and contemporary art in New Orleans, including experimental works by local artists as well as vanguard works made all across the country.

— melinda morris, NOLA.com, "5 things to do this weekend, June 23-25," 22 June 2017
And while there may be a global effort under the Paris agreement to reduce emissions, that certainly has not stopped the international race for Arctic oil. Norway is in the vanguard of that scramble, trailed by Russia, Canada and the United States.

— somini sengupta, Alaska Dispatch News, "Both climate leader and oil giant? A Norwegian paradox," 18 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vanguard.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of vanguard

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

vanguard Synonyms

Synonyms

cutting edge, van, avant–garde

Related Words

underground; avant-gardist, forerunner, pioneer, precursor, trailblazer

Near Antonyms

establishment, old guard

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

VANGUARD Defined for English Language Learners

vanguard

play

noun

Definition of vanguard for English Language Learners

: the group of people who are the leaders of an action or movement in society, politics, art, etc.
the vanguard : the soldiers, ships, etc., that are at the front of a fighting force that is moving forward