the foremost or front division of an army, a fleet, or any group leading an advance or in position to lead an advance.
those who are in the forefront of a movement or the like.
the forefront in any movement, course of progress, or the like.
a covered vehicle, usually a large truck or trailer, used for moving furniture, goods, animals, etc.
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.
British.
a railway baggage car.
a covered, boxlike railway car, as one used to carry freight.
a small, horse-drawn wagon or a small truck, as one used by tradespeople to carry light goods.
Also called van conversion. a conventional van whose cargo area has been equipped with living facilities, extra windows, and often increased headroom.
Lake, a salt lake in E Turkey. 1,454 sq. mi. (3,766 sq. km).
a town on this lake.
a male given name.
short for caravan
a covered motor vehicle for transporting goods, etc, by road
a closed railway wagon in which the guard travels, for transporting goods, mail, etc
See delivery van
a city in E Turkey, on Lake Van. Pop: 377 000 (2005 est)
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)
any device for winnowing corn
an archaic or poetic word for wing
First recorded in 1600–10; short for vanguard
First recorded in 1820–30; short for caravan
From Dutch
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, variant of fan 1
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."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hoyte van Hoytema’s Imax-framed cinematography is assertive and present, rocking with the stormy waves and peering into the torch-lit darkness where the color palette is as starkly orange and black as an ancient Greek urn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
In Houston last week, ICE agents stopped Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican father of three who was driving a van to work.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
"If features such as infinite scroll or surveillance advertising aren't safe, they shouldn't be on social media in the first place," said Michiel van Hulten, EU director at public policy organisation Reset Tech.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
Khanna said settlers surrounded his group’s van on Wednesday near the Palestinian village of Khirbet Zanuta in the southern West Bank.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
In the morning, she hid when Dr. van Heerden and Petrus drove off.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Instead, he seemed a good, flustered company man anxiously determined to be normal—like Dick Van Dyke, perhaps, or Bob Newhart—while remaining very funny indeed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
The core jewelry business, home to brands like Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, recorded a 24% jump in sales to 4.73 billion euros, ahead of consensus expectations of 4.35 billion euros.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Lore Van Moll, 33, a Belgian woman visiting her parents in nearby Alfaix, said she felt fortunate that she was unharmed and that her family’s home had been spared.
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
Atkinson stretched the lead out to 35-3, going in after some blurring footwork from Marcus Smith and a lovely offload off the floor from Van Poortvliet.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
“Huzzah!” says Mr. Van Deusen, which, I think, is how Shakespeare would say “Yay!”
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
“He got a good night’s rest and then vanned the rest of the way the next day,” McPeek said, making sure to thank officials at Zia Park for their hospitality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 25, 2024
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
In the Pat Day Mile, Freezing Point, also ridden by Lanerie, was pulled up in the chute shortly after the start of the race and was vanned off.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2023
Spun Intended was pulled up in front of the grandstand by jockey Mike Smith and vanned off.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 8, 2023
Smith, preparing to take his Kayak east, vanned Seabiscuit to Ridgewood, said his good-byes, and left him in Pollard’s care.
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
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 short answer is that vanning has become an American craze.
From Time Magazine Archive
News of ever fresh extravagances circulates in 25 or so magazines devoted to vanning.
From Time Magazine Archive
His first test was made with the ordinary "vanning shovel," his second with the aid of chemicals.
From The Squire's Daughter by Hocking, Silas K(itto)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
