# vanguard

Pronunciation: US say "VAN-gard" /ˈvænˌɡɑɹd/; UK say "VAN-gahd" /ˈvanˌɡɑːd/

## Noun

1. The people at the very front of a group or movement, leading its advance.
   - Simple: The people who lead the way in a group or new movement.
   - _Independent filmmakers became the vanguard of a bold new storytelling style._
   - _These young scientists saw themselves as the vanguard of a coming revolution in medicine._
2. The foremost units of an army or fleet, positioned at the front of an advance.
   - Simple: The soldiers or ships at the front of an army or fleet, leading the way.
   - _The general sent the vanguard ahead to secure the bridge before nightfall._
   - _Enemy cavalry clashed with the vanguard before the main force ever arrived._

## Origin

Earlier English forms like vandgard and (a)vantgard came from Old French avan(t)garde, meaning 'before guard'. It is a doublet of avant-garde and vaward.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/vanguard (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).