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
1
dialectal, England
: a winnowing device (such as a fan)
2
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
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
That means the diminutive van measures in at a hair under 340 cm (134 in) long, roughly 59 cm (23 in) shorter than the original 2023 Toyota Kayoibako.
—New Atlas, 30 Oct. 2025
James Folta, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
In 2013, using some of the first ALMA observations van der Marel and colleagues detected the existence of a dust trap in a protoplanetary disk around the young A-type star Oph-IRS 48, located some 400 light-years away in the Northern constellation of Ophiuchus.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for van
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Noun
McAtee remembers loading food into the back of customers’ vans and noticing pies made by competitors.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
That means the diminutive van measures in at a hair under 340 cm (134 in) long, roughly 59 cm (23 in) shorter than the original 2023 Toyota Kayoibako.
—New Atlas, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
But what else can van der Kolk buy with this payday?
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
In 2013, using some of the first ALMA observations van der Marel and colleagues detected the existence of a dust trap in a protoplanetary disk around the young A-type star Oph-IRS 48, located some 400 light-years away in the Northern constellation of Ophiuchus.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for van
Cite this Entry
“Van.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/van. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
van
2 of 2 noun1
: 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"
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