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• van
  van

  noun

  the foremost or front division of an army, a fleet, or any group leading an advance or in position to lead an advance.
• Van
  Van

  noun

  Lake, a salt lake in E Turkey. 1,454 sq. mi. (3,766 sq. km).

van

¹ American  

[van] / væn /

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.

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van ² American  

[van] / væn /

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.

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verb (used with object)

vanned, vanning

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

verb (used without object)

vanned, vanning

1. to travel in a van.

van ³ American  

[van, vahn] / væn, vɑn /

Or Van

preposition

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

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van ⁴ American  

[van] / væn /

noun

Archaic.

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

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Van ⁵ American  

[van, vahn] / væn, vɑn /

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.

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van ¹ British  

/ væn /

noun

1. 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

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Van ² British  

/ vɑːn /

noun

1. a city in E Turkey, on Lake Van. Pop: 377 000 (2005 est)

2. 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)

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van ³ British  

/ væn /

noun

1. any device for winnowing corn

2. an archaic or poetic word for wing

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van ⁴ British  

/ væn /

noun

1. short for vanguard

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van ⁵ British  

/ væn /

noun

1. Usual US and Canadian word: ad.  short for advantage

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Etymology

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

Explanation

A van is a roomy vehicle with a boxy shape that's useful for transporting extra people or extra stuff. If you're moving some furniture across town, your mom's van will come in handy. There are many kinds of vans, from commercial vans that deliver appliances to airport vans that transport hotel guests and their luggage to the small vans parked in many suburban driveways. A less common meaning of van is "forefront," and this meaning is usually used when talking about military movement: "The general was at the van of the troops as they surged forward." The vehicle definition comes from caravan, "large covered carriage used for conveying passengers."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

van Van vanned vanning

Lukas Hornicek: Made saves to keep out Tel, Robertson and van Hecke's efforts when Newcastle were under pressure in the first half.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Micky van de Ven: The captain's first start of the season.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

A coalition of religious and interfaith groups led by Washington-based Indian American Muslim Council intends to protest Saturday’s event and has a van with video monitors plying Manhattan streets denouncing it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

"Our results show that how soil is managed can significantly affect both soil life and soil quality," says co-study leader Marcel van der Heijden, UZH professor of agroecology.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

"That's how it worked out," Mrs. Fayne said as she pulled the van into the supermarket parking lot.

From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene

Army soldier, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, with using classified information to reap more than $400,000 from bets tied to the timing of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s ouster.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Burbank is expected to reach 105 degrees; Van Nuys 107, which would break a record of 105 set in 2010; and Woodland Hills 111, which would break a 109-degree record set in 1981.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Cassidy Van der Kamp is a filmmaker whose YouTube documentary Tipless was inspired by her own experience of working in a restaurant in Oakland, California which went tip-free.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

While Van der Kamp liked the move, Lynn says that a huge challenge of moving to a gratuity-free system is that it can be difficult to attract and retain waiting staff who like getting tips.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

“Kudos to you all,” adds Mr. Van Deusen.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

The horse shipped Tuesday from Los Angeles to Newark and then vanned down to Pimlico arriving about midnight, accompanied by Bob Baffert’s top assistant Jimmy Barnes.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2024

He was vanned off the track and taken to the backstretch equine hospital at Santa Anita, where he was evaluated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2023

Jockey Jesus Castanon pulled her up passing the 3/16th pole and she was vanned off, Equibase race chart notes stated.

From Washington Times ● May 28, 2023

Spun Intended was pulled up in front of the grandstand by jockey Mike Smith and vanned off.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 8, 2023

Trouble dogged him from the moment he was vanned into Santa Anita.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

The proposal would also help pay for the cost of vanning horses and relocation expenses for horsemen, including grooms and trainers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2024

The short answer is that vanning has become an American craze.

From Time Magazine Archive

In fact, vanning enthusiasts include a good many old coots as well as young marrieds, loners and lovers as well as adolescents.

From Time Magazine Archive

The paradoxical realities of vanning suggest another possibility.

From Time Magazine Archive

Mechanical Separations.—Under this head are classed the method of assaying tin ores, known as vanning, and the amalgamation assay for gold.

From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer

Related Words

• camper
• cart
• truck
• wagon