van

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈvan 

1

a

: a usually enclosed wagon or motortruck used for transportation of goods or animals

also : caravan sense 2a

b

: a multipurpose enclosed motor vehicle having a boxlike shape, rear or side doors, and side panels often with windows

c

: a detachable passenger cabin transportable by aircraft or truck

2

chiefly British : an enclosed railroad freight or baggage car

van

2 of 4

verb

vanned; vanning

transitive verb

: to transport by van

van

3 of 4

noun (2)

: vanguard

van

4 of 4

noun (3)

1

dialectal, England : a winnowing device (such as a fan)

2

: wing sense 1a

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• avant-garde
• cutting edge
• vanguard

Examples of van in a Sentence

Noun (2)

an artist who was in the van of abstract expressionism

a company that is considered by some to be in the van of the latest technology for renewable energy

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Last month, press vans following Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz's motorcade were involved in a crash while on Interstate 794 in Milwaukee, just north of the Layton Avenue exit. —Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2024

Karen Little Thunder spent the night in her van at the massacre site. —Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024

Verb

No me lo van a creer pero nos chocaron el yate mientras estábamos en Nápoles. —Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2024

The warm ovation raised the question: Had the pandemic not derailed him, would van Zweden have eventually settled in with the Philharmonic, and with New York? —Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 7 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

short for caravan entry 1

Noun (2)

by shortening

Noun (3)

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Latin vannus, of uncertain origin

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1840, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1607, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing van

• guard's van
• moving van
• removal van
• Rip van Winkle
• van der Waals forces

Kids Definition

van

1 of 2 noun

ˈvan 

: vanguard

van

2 of 2 noun

1

: a usually closed wagon or truck for transporting goods or animals

2

: an enclosed motor vehicle shaped like a box that is used for a variety of purposes and has rear or side doors and side panels often with windows

Etymology

Noun

a shortened form of vanguard

Noun

a shortened form of caravan "vehicle"