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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

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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

But will McParland get much gametime ahead of the established duo of Jack van Poortvliet and Alex Mitchell, and will Tuipulotu get any minutes when competing with the highly experienced George and Cowan-Dickie?

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

Six men taking several ferries, driving in a van over 1,200 miles on one-lane roads shared with cows, hiking miles of rugged terrain, all while carrying our clubs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

MarketWatch’s Philip van Doorn and Jaimy Lee explain what’s behind the new interest in those companies and name seven stocks that are worth a look.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

The van driver, Herman Joseph, originally from Haiti, did not have a valid US driver's licence and was jailed.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Hannah gestures with the package to the back of the van, offering the guys some Twizzlers.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Jeff Merkley of Oregon also traveled to the region last year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

When completed, the east San Fernando Valley line connect with local and regional transit services including Metro’s G Line and the Van Nuys Metrolink-Amtrak station.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

Brandon Thomas-Asante: Industrious and was only denied a goal by Van de Ven's superb first-half tackle.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

There’s a rich conversation about the efficacy of influential figures such as gangster Casper Holstein and writer Carl Van Vechten, who helped finance and support, respectively, members of the Harlem Renaissance and their work.

From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026

All three pose for a few more pictures and then both Van Helsings are handed their badges.

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston

Mountain Bear, also trained by O’Brien, finished second but after the race was vanned off.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 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

The race was not without its moment of serious concern when Epicenter was pulled up on the backstretch and vanned off.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2022

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

News of ever fresh extravagances circulates in 25 or so magazines devoted to vanning.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

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

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