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vanguard

[ van-gahrd ]
/ ˈvænˌgɑrd /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR vanguard ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the foremost division or the front part of an army; advance guard; van.
the forefront in any movement, field, activity, or the like.
the leaders of any intellectual or political movement.
(initial capital letter)Rocketry. a U.S. three-stage, satellite-launching rocket, the first two stages powered by liquid-propellant engines and the third by a solid-propellant engine.

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Origin of vanguard

1480–90; earlier van(d)gard(e) <Middle French avangarde, variant of avant-garde;see avaunt, guard

Words nearby vanguard

Van Fleet, vang, vanga shrike, van Gogh, van Gogh, Vincent, vanguard, vanguardism, Vanhal, Vanier, vanilla, vanilla plant
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to vanguard

front, leading, lead, leaders

Example sentences from the Web for vanguard

British Dictionary definitions for vanguard

vanguard
/ (ˈvænˌɡɑːd) /

noun

the leading division or units of a military force
the leading position in any movement or field, or the people who occupy such a positionthe vanguard of modern literature

Word Origin for vanguard

C15: from Old French avant-garde, from avant- fore- + garde guard
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012