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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vans
The money will be spent on various infrastructure upgrades, building temporary housing for staff, and buying new equipment, including transport buses and vans.
—
Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025
Lexus' vision for the future doesn't stop at cars, trucks, SUVs and vans.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 5 Nov. 2025
Bronco, Bronco Sport, the commercial vans — all healthy volume.
—Jamie L. Lareau, Freep.com, 3 Nov. 2025
McAtee remembers loading food into the back of customers’ vans and noticing pies made by competitors.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
While not a camper itself, the Elevance SUV does employ the type of 180-degree front seats common in camper vans and larger motorhomes.
—New Atlas, 29 Oct. 2025
Fifarek said the new vans will target students who need to travel 15 to 20 miles to get to school.
—Kayla Huynh, jsonline.com, 28 Oct. 2025
Most notably, the Type 2 micro-vans were the transportation choice for the masses en route to the Woodstock music festival in New York in 1969.
—James Raia, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025
The problem is especially pressing with lithium iron phosphate batteries, the kind most commonly used in EVs, E-delivery vans, and E-buses.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2025
Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025
Lexus' vision for the future doesn't stop at cars, trucks, SUVs and vans.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 5 Nov. 2025
Bronco, Bronco Sport, the commercial vans — all healthy volume.
—Jamie L. Lareau, Freep.com, 3 Nov. 2025
McAtee remembers loading food into the back of customers’ vans and noticing pies made by competitors.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
While not a camper itself, the Elevance SUV does employ the type of 180-degree front seats common in camper vans and larger motorhomes.
—New Atlas, 29 Oct. 2025
Fifarek said the new vans will target students who need to travel 15 to 20 miles to get to school.
—Kayla Huynh, jsonline.com, 28 Oct. 2025
Most notably, the Type 2 micro-vans were the transportation choice for the masses en route to the Woodstock music festival in New York in 1969.
—James Raia, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025
The problem is especially pressing with lithium iron phosphate batteries, the kind most commonly used in EVs, E-delivery vans, and E-buses.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vans
Noun
-
The San Francisco 49ers, vanguards of the outside zone run game, cannot run the ball.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
15 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
-
Pediatricians and family doctors are on the front lines of the effort, addressing parents’ vaccine hesitancy and concerns.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Amid the untold death and destruction that has ravaged the Gaza Strip for the past two years and continues to strike with little notice, one group is tasked with delivering Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners—alive and dead—across one of the bloodiest front lines on Earth.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vans. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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