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 address is for MobilityWorks, which provides wheelchair accessible vans.
—
Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2025
Media reported a fire in a van followed by three explosions.
—Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Kroger investigated and found video showing a work van from Merchants Refrigeration at the South Milwaukee location.
—Erik S. Hanley, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
That includes the 95 million workers and 3 million small businesses that depend on trucks, vans, and other commercial vehicles, like those made by his Ford Pro division.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for van
Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2025
Media reported a fire in a van followed by three explosions.
—Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Kroger investigated and found video showing a work van from Merchants Refrigeration at the South Milwaukee location.
—Erik S. Hanley, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
That includes the 95 million workers and 3 million small businesses that depend on trucks, vans, and other commercial vehicles, like those made by his Ford Pro division.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for van
Recent Examples of Synonyms for van
Noun
-
Although the West has humanoid robotics players such as Boston Dynamics and Tesla, China occupies the industry’s vanguard thanks to its huge market, a mature industrial base of chips, sensors, and batteries, as well as robust state support.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
-
He’s so far collaborated with acts like Ecco2k and Xaviersobased, themselves vanguards of the underground-rap scene.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
These scenarios represent the forefront of human-machine collaboration, a significant shift that is quickly moving from research labs into every critical sector of our society.—
Nelson Lim,
Fortune,
10 Oct. 2025
-
With a gobsmacking 16 designer debuts, ingenuity, creativity, and skill were all at the forefront.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Unlike the neo-Leninist underground, moreover, dissidents had no desire to revive Bolshevik revolutionary traditions, with their ideological discipline, armed conspiracy, and noms de guerre.—
Benjamin Nathans
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Burnham Yard also is near an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site for radium contamination, but the Terracon report did not find any indication that there is a substantial amount of radioactive material underground.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Past winners of the Nobel physics prize include some of the most influential figures in the history of science, such as Albert Einstein, Pierre and Marie Curie, Max Planck and Niels Bohr, himself a pioneer of quantum theory.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The character is Marty Mauser, loosely inspired by real-life Jewish American tennis table pioneer Marty Reisman, who died in 2012.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Van.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/van. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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