vanguard
noun
Did you know?
Vanguard comes from Anglo-French avantgarde, from avant, meaning "before," and garde, "guard." In medieval times, avantgarde referred to the troops that marched at the head of the army. In time, vanguard marched its way as a word for the group of people who are the leaders of an action or movement in society, politics, art, etc.
Examples of vanguard in a Sentence
Charlie Campbell, Time, 29 May 2025
Once associated with pioneer women in long dresses, Latter-day Saints are increasingly represented by a new vanguard of social media influencers.
—Lauren Jackson, New York Times, 29 May 2025
How Johnson, who has tried to position himself as part of the progressive vanguard against Trump in urban America, responds to these threats will define much of his next two years in office.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025
Despite the oracular hubris of the genetic-screening vanguard, the story a parent wants has only one primary source, one reliable narrator.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vanguard
Cite this Entry
“Vanguard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vanguard. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
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vanguard
noun
Middle English vauntgard "the troops moving at the head of an army," from early French vantgarde, avantgarde (same meaning), derived from avant- "fore-, in front" and garde "guard"
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