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
Just a quiet slip into a van on a rainy Saturday night, hours from home in the middle of a series three-plus weeks into the season.
—
Brittany Ghiroli, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
The man then left the scene in a burgundy Dodge conversion-style van with the Michigan license plate FAB5598.
—Nick Lentz, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
The four workers must watch the security cameras on a monitor, fill out an event log, communicate via walkie-talkie and track down several missing items in the van.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
Last year, Rivian produced 42,284 vehicles — including trucks and delivery vans — at its Normal plant, the company’s sole manufacturing facility.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for van
Brittany Ghiroli, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
The man then left the scene in a burgundy Dodge conversion-style van with the Michigan license plate FAB5598.
—Nick Lentz, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
The four workers must watch the security cameras on a monitor, fill out an event log, communicate via walkie-talkie and track down several missing items in the van.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
Last year, Rivian produced 42,284 vehicles — including trucks and delivery vans — at its Normal plant, the company’s sole manufacturing facility.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for van
Recent Examples of Synonyms for van
Noun
-
Yes, Barcelona comes across normally as a cool place, a vanguard city which everybody wants to visit.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Teyana Taylor is taking her fashion vanguard reputation to new heights in the desert.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But with the lottery alterations, trades and free agency again will return to a forefront that allowed the Heat to return to the forefront for the majority of these three decades of Riley rule.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Sea otter mentorship is at the forefront of a formal partnership between the Aquarium of the Pacific and Monterey Bay Aquarium, which has been rehabilitating sea otters since the 1980s, according to Long.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Household water largely comes from underground, the same aquifer that connects to the springs.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The beetles winter underground, with adults emerging in late spring.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Even the pioneers of AI will tell you, Stassun said, in many cases, what AI does very well is rapidly synthesizing, consolidating or repackaging existing information.—
National Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Commissioners McSlavkin and Ella Cross both questioned a historical mural in the tunnel, which includes controversial pioneers John Sutter and Peter Burnett, during the meeting.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Van.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/van. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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