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
Westman drove to the church in a gray Ram ProMaster City utility van with Minnesota plates, according to Minneapolis police records.
—
Michael Loria, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2025
The batteries currently in production will be used to power Ford's F-150 Lightning pickup truck and E-Transit van.
—Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 29 Aug. 2025
That includes tens of thousands of Ford hourly employees and skilled tradespeople who make our manufacturing system run every day and the millions who use our commercial trucks and vans to get their work done.
—Jim Farley, Time, 29 Aug. 2025
For vans, SUVs and light trucks, the cap is $80,000.
—Brian Sloan, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for van
Michael Loria, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2025
The batteries currently in production will be used to power Ford's F-150 Lightning pickup truck and E-Transit van.
—Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 29 Aug. 2025
That includes tens of thousands of Ford hourly employees and skilled tradespeople who make our manufacturing system run every day and the millions who use our commercial trucks and vans to get their work done.
—Jim Farley, Time, 29 Aug. 2025
For vans, SUVs and light trucks, the cap is $80,000.
—Brian Sloan, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for van
Recent Examples of Synonyms for van
Noun
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Waymo’s self-driving cars are a vanguard of this movement, a vehicle that can perceive its surroundings and make decisions in real time.—
Divyaditya Shrivastava,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Behrman successfully pitched his boss at Columbia Masterworks a new series, called Music of Our Time, showcasing the classical vanguard and its potential intersections with the longhair rock market.—
William Robin,
New Yorker,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
To that end, Johnson and the CTU’s Springfield strategy has been at the forefront of all their public messaging on how the school district gets out of this fiscal predicament.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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As always, animals will be at the forefront of the annual fair with shows for dairy cows, beef, swine, sheep and poultry taking over AGtivity Hall for showmanship competitions.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But now European and American scientists are exploring whether the first human Martians could find refuge via dormant volcanos scattered across the Red Planet, inside lava tubes that criss-cross the Mars underground.—
Kevin Holden Platt,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Sibiya said the men had been killed by gas underground, their bodies carried out of the mine by colleagues and left for the police to find.—
Tommy Trenchard,
NPR,
23 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Alexander Jabbour is an Engineering Lead at Rilla, an industry pioneer in real-time sales conversation feedback.—
Alexander Jabbour,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Visitors can also stop by the Leonard Reid House, built in 1926 by one of Sarasota’s early Black pioneers, Leonard Reid, or visit the Greater Newtown Historical Gallery, a repository of Newtown history that includes family photo collections and artifacts.—
Mariette Williams,
AFAR Media,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Van.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/van. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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