van

noun

Definition of vannext
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

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 van Modern cars, trucks, SUVs and vans can last for 150,000 miles to 300,000 miles depending on the make and model. — Charles Singh, USA Today, 29 July 2026 Coop takes some distance, riding to the restaurant in a separate van and sitting at the opposite end of the table from Kat at dinner. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 28 July 2026 But Rojas Pliego and another passenger wrote in statements submitted in court that the officers were to the sides of their van, never in front or behind it. — Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026 An officer told Enniskillen Magistrates’ Court on Monday, July 27, that on the day of the incident, police arrived at the scene and saw a white van with damage to the front and a quad on its side, per Belfast Live. — Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for van
Recent Examples of Synonyms for van
  1. vanguard
  2. forefront
  3. underground
  4. pioneer
Noun
  • The great technological leaps in American history have often featured influential industrialists who step forward as vanguards, leading the way to a better tomorrow while emerging as major players in extreme endeavors.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Columbia waded into the rock vanguard after Davis attended the Monterey International Pop Festival in June 1967 at the behest of its organizer Lou Adler, whose Ode Records was distributed by CBS.
    — Chris Morris, Variety, 22 June 2026
Definition of vanguard
Noun
  • So maybe at that time, dusting off a 25-year-old album with multiple labels involved wasn’t at the forefront of anyone at Disney’s minds.
    — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 29 July 2026
  • Worobey, an evolutionary biologist who worked on the Science and Cell papers and was at the forefront of the pandemic-origins research, spoke to NPR in 2022 about the data.
    — Rachel Carlson, NPR, 29 July 2026
Definition of forefront
Noun
  • Head underground The Bee’s diversions reporter Camila Pedrosa recently ventured deep into the earth, twice, to explore Black Chasm Cavern in Amador County, as well as California Cavern in Calaveras County.
    — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Her work has included uncovering human trafficking networks, revealing an ISIS underground torture prison in Syria, documenting the war in Ukraine and interviewing senior political figures and world leaders.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026
Definition of underground
Noun
  • The latest wave of this came this week, when Nvidia announced a $5 billion investment in Safe Superintelligence, the lab founded by AI pioneer Ilya Sutskever.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 29 July 2026
  • Reyneke Wines is one of the pioneers of organic wines and environmental and ethical wine making in the country.
    — Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of pioneer

Browse Nearby Words

vampy
van
vandal
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Cite this Entry

“Van.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/van. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on van

Nglish: Translation of van for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about van

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