van

¹

[ van ]

noun

1. the foremost or front division of an army, a fleet, or any group leading an advance or in position to lead an advance.
2. those who are in the forefront of a movement or the like.
3. the forefront in any movement, course of progress, or the like.

van

²

[ van ]

noun

1. a covered vehicle, usually a large truck or trailer, used for moving furniture, goods, animals, etc.
2. a smaller boxlike vehicle that resembles a panel truck, often has double doors both at the rear and along the curb side, and that can be used as a truck, fitted with rows of seats, or equipped with living quarters for traveling and camping.
3. British.
   1. a railway baggage car.
   2. a covered, boxlike railway car, as one used to carry freight.
   3. a small, horse-drawn wagon or a small truck, as one used by tradespeople to carry light goods.
4. Also called van conversion. a conventional van whose cargo area has been equipped with living facilities, extra windows, and often increased headroom.

verb (used with object)

, vanned, van·ning.

1. to transport or carry (freight, passengers, etc.) in a van.

verb (used without object)

, vanned, van·ning.

1. to travel in a van.

van

³

or Van

[ van; Dutch vahn ]

preposition

1. from; of (used in Dutch personal names, originally to indicate place of origin).

van

⁴

[ van ]

noun

, Archaic.

1. a bird's wing or tail, especially when fanned out, as in flight or as part of a mating display.

Van

⁵

[ van; Turkish vahn ]

noun

1. Lake, a salt lake in E Turkey. 1,454 sq. mi. (3,766 sq. km).
2. a town on this lake.
3. a male given name.

van

¹

/ væn /

noun

1. any device for winnowing corn
2. See wing
   an archaic or poetic word for wing

van

²

/ væn /

noun

1. See advantage
   short for advantage Usual US and Canadian wordad

van

³

/ væn /

noun

1. See vanguard
   short for vanguard

Van

⁴

/ vɑːn /

noun

1. a city in E Turkey, on Lake Van. Pop: 377 000 (2005 est)
2. Lake Van
   Lake Van a salt lake in E Turkey, at an altitude of 1650 m (5400 ft): fed by melting snow and glaciers. Area: 3737 sq km (1433 sq miles)

van

⁵

/ væn /

noun

1. See caravan
   short for caravan
2. a covered motor vehicle for transporting goods, etc, by road
3. a closed railway wagon in which the guard travels, for transporting goods, mail, etc
4. See delivery van
   See delivery van

Word History and Origins

Origin of van¹

First recorded in 1600–10; short for vanguard

Origin of van²

First recorded in 1820–30; short for caravan

Origin of van³

From Dutch

Origin of van⁴

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, variant of fan ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of van¹

C17: variant of fan ¹

Example Sentences

Authorities said the van driver was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

From Washington Post

If you drive a truck or a van and bring a lot of gear with you on adventures, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more useful upgrade than a set of Decked drawers.

From Outside Online

Left with no option but to leave, Fern buys a large van, puts her things into storage, and takes off down the winding road to an Amazon warehouse.

From Vox

He also has a Youtube channel of the same name with more than 400,000 subscribers, where he provides helpful tips on everything from budgeting to the best van heaters to staying safe while living in a vehicle.

From Time

My wife and I rented a camper van via RVshare and went exploring the first week.

From Washington Post

Finally, Van Cleef and Martin realize Liberty is going too far.

From The Daily Beast

Artists like Mick Jagger and Van Morrison obsessively revered and imitated African-American blues and rock musicians.

From The Daily Beast

"He brought Ray Charles to the mix as an influence on rock & roll," E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt once raved.

From The Daily Beast

Production expenses: equipment rental, lights, lighting board, van rental, trailer rental, road cases, backline.

From The Daily Beast

“I went to a Jewish summer camp…” A van pulls up, and the two hop out, and immediately strip down and do a series of stretches.

From The Daily Beast

Pierre Van Cortlandt, a distinguished revolutionary patriot, died at his seat at Croton river, aged 94.

From Project Gutenberg

Van Twiller was himself a grower of the plant and had his tobacco farm at Greenwich.

From Project Gutenberg

Remarks upon some errors in the hydrography of the south coast of Van Diemen's Land.

From Project Gutenberg

He held various offices with distinction; among others that of post master general under Mr. Van Buren.

From Project Gutenberg

She was not a road wagon, but a van driven by five horses, three leaders abreast, and reaching London in sixteen hours.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• camper
• cart
• truck
• wagon