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
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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
Finney already has a pub, a school, a soccer centre, two care homes, a non-League ground (Bamber Bridge of the Northern Premier League), a university pitch, a bus and even a mobile hot-potato van named after him.
—
Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
At the end, Virgil comes out and gets into the van and drives off.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2025
He was recently injured in a car crash but was doing freelance mechanic work to make ends meet while saving up to buy a van and start his own mobile mechanic business, his sister said.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 20 Jan. 2025
The Search for a Lost van Gogh: Cast off by the Nazis, but heralded by curators, the artist’s painting of his doctor, made just before van Gogh’s suicide, has not been seen in 34 years.
—Mary Logan Bikoff, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for van 
Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
At the end, Virgil comes out and gets into the van and drives off.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 21 Jan. 2025
He was recently injured in a car crash but was doing freelance mechanic work to make ends meet while saving up to buy a van and start his own mobile mechanic business, his sister said.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 20 Jan. 2025
The Search for a Lost van Gogh: Cast off by the Nazis, but heralded by curators, the artist’s painting of his doctor, made just before van Gogh’s suicide, has not been seen in 34 years.
—Mary Logan Bikoff, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for van
Recent Examples of Synonyms for van
Noun
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Social media companies were wrongly held up as the instigators and vanguard of progressive political change when used by activists in the Middle East a decade and a half ago, and when the Obama ...—
Michael Brendan Dougherty,
National Review,
10 Jan. 2025
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As a candidate in 2023, Johnson relied on the city’s progressive labor vanguard — the Chicago Teachers Union and Service Employees International Union — to bankroll his campaign.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Claiming the Future of Entertainment: Gaming has been at the forefront of entertainment for nearly 50 years.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2025
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Artificial intelligence Elon Musk is attempting to put himself at the forefront of artificial intelligence with a high-stakes bid that could reshape the future of the technology.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
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His breakthrough came via 1977’s Eraserhead, which became popular in the midnight movie underground circuit.—
Rania Aniftos,
Billboard,
16 Jan. 2025
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And as surface temperatures rise, their cool underground burrows may become important refuges.—
Sammy Roth,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Visual effects, animation and gaming pioneer Alberto Menache received the Ub Iwerks Award for technical achievement.—
Terry Flores,
Variety,
9 Feb. 2025
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Manifest destiny plays its part, too, as the struggle between enterprising pioneers and tragic, courageous native tribes ignites nostalgia, at least in some, for a time when Americans were unapologetic conquerors.—
Michael M. Rosen,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
7 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to van
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Cite this Entry
“Van.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/van. Accessed 15 Feb. 2025.
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