1
as in vanguard
the innovators of new concepts, styles, and techniques especially in the arts
an artist who was in the van of abstract expressionism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in forefront
the leading or most important part of a movement
a company that is considered by some to be in the van of the latest technology for renewable energy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of van
The trooper noticed a shotgun in the van, and shortly after, the suspect allegedly drove off, knocking the trooper to the ground.
—
Christa Swanson, CBS News, 2 May 2026
Deputies then lifted the man from the bench as a van was called to take him to a nearby hospital.
—Darrell Smith
may 1, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
Dramatic footage showed police officers dodging rocks and sticks while rioters smashed police cars and set a police van on fire.
—Angus Watson, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
She's lived in the van for months at a time, and other times rents out Airbnbs to have some kind of home base.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for van
Christa Swanson, CBS News, 2 May 2026
Deputies then lifted the man from the bench as a van was called to take him to a nearby hospital.
—Darrell Smith
may 1, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
Dramatic footage showed police officers dodging rocks and sticks while rioters smashed police cars and set a police van on fire.
—Angus Watson, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
She's lived in the van for months at a time, and other times rents out Airbnbs to have some kind of home base.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for van
Recent Examples of Synonyms for van
Noun
-
Hekt’s debut album heralds a union between the left-field pop scene of his native Copenhagen and the influential Glasgow label Numbers, whose formidable run of 2010s releases—including several landmark SOPHIE singles—has left a neon imprint on the new Danish vanguard.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
1 May 2026
-
Yes, Barcelona comes across normally as a cool place, a vanguard city which everybody wants to visit.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Accountability and transparency should be at the forefront of any measure.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Collins has been at the forefront of the chamber’s many spending disputes this Congress, often leading the floor debate and providing the GOP’s closing arguments.—
Patrick Whittle,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Though operating at the center of the Venezuelan underground, Garbán embodies the disconnect between the scene’s international acclaim and domestic invisibility.—
Marcos Sanoja,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2026
-
This plant is intended to store large quantities of hydrogen underground.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The 24,000-square-foot building was erected in 1965 by shopping mall pioneer and developer Ernest Hahn to serve as his corporate headquarters.—
Deborah Vankin,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
-
And Mighty Real also spotlights under-the-radar but equally important LGBTQ pioneers like Lavender Country and the artists from women’s music label Olivia Records.—
David Chiu,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Van.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/van. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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