vanguard

American  

[van-gahrd] / ˈvænˌgɑrd /

noun

1. the foremost division or the front part of an army; advance guard; van.

2. the forefront in any movement, field, activity, or the like.

3. the leaders of any intellectual or political movement.

4. (initial capital letter) 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.

---

vanguard British  

/ ˈvænˌɡɑːd /

noun

1. the leading division or units of a military force

2. the leading position in any movement or field, or the people who occupy such a position

   the vanguard of modern literature

---

Etymology

Origin of vanguard

First recorded in 1480–90; earlier van(d)gard(e), from Middle French avangarde, variant of avant-garde; avaunt, guard

Example Sentences

"I will not give up on having a country with the ambition to be at the forefront, to be at the vanguard of Europe," he said on the eve of the strike.

From BBC

“Or do we want to be a party that is leading the vanguard to protect workers and to fight for working families?”

From Salon

“It’s one thing for equity markets to suffer a general pullback. But it’s quite another to see stocks at the vanguard of AI development getting trashed,” he added.

From Barron's

As a result, an institution with an illustrious record of solving the hardest problems in space now faces a daunting task here on Earth: reclaiming its place at the vanguard of exploration and innovation.

From Los Angeles Times

But add up the dozen or so other countries that form the supposed vanguard of this new world order: Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan.

From Barron's