Noun: vanguard 'van,gaa(r)d
- The position of greatest importance or advancement; the leading position in any movement or field
"the Cotswolds were once at the vanguard of woollen manufacturing in England";
- forefront, cutting edge
- The leading units moving at the head of an army
"The vanguard encountered enemy resistance";
- van
- Any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
"The artist was part of the vanguard movement in 1960s New York";
- avant-garde, new wave
Derived forms: vanguards
Type of: army unit, art movement, artistic movement, perspective, position, view
Encyclopedia: Vanguard, Saskatchewan