vans

plural of van
1
as in vanguards
the innovators of new concepts, styles, and techniques especially in the arts an artist who was in the van of abstract expressionism

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2
as in forefronts
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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vans Here, to avoid drawing attention, interrogators and guards dressed as civilians, uniformed personnel were prohibited and unmarked vans and other regular vehicles moved prisoners in and out. Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025 The address is for MobilityWorks, which provides wheelchair accessible vans. Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 7 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 By the entry, vans with tinted windows pulled in to deliver more detainees. Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025 The security footage from the ICE facility on Stemmons Freeway, obtained by KDFW-TV, shows two white vans in the building’s sallyport. Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Sep. 2025 The video shows agents ducking for cover in front of two white vans while quickly shuffling detainees inside the facility, where an ICE agent frantically guided the detainees down a hallway. Peter D'abrosca , Brooke Taylor, FOXNews.com, 26 Sep. 2025 The surveillance video shows officers and detainees ducking for cover near two vans in the facility's sallyport. Luke Barr, ABC News, 25 Sep. 2025 The driver ultimately came to a stop at the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Franklin Street in Buena Park, with various law enforcement vehicles, including some undercover vans, boxing the truck in place. City News Service, Oc Register, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vans
Noun
  • 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
  • Overburdened infantrymen who had been on the front lines for months, some since the Normandy landings, remained there for weeks and months on end.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Xipaia herself is at the front lines of the battle to preserve the Amazon, all while facing multiple assassination attempts, as well as impending motherhood.
    Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vans. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

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