van
gb/vˈæn/ us/vˈæn/
A2
English
~ 1500
furgon, kisbusz, élvonal, elővéd, él
NOUN
A2
1
Usage pattern:
drive [a/an] van
The florist delivered the flowers in a white van.
A virágárus egy fehér furgonnal szállította ki a virágokat.
We rented a van to move our furniture.
Béreltünk egy furgont, hogy elszállítsuk a bútorainkat.
The police loaded the suspects into the back of the van.
A delivery van blocked the entrance for several minutes.
They converted an old van into a camper.
Learner examples
The man drives a blue van.
A férfi egy kék furgont vezet.
We put the boxes in the van.
Beraktuk a dobozokat a furgonba.
She works as a driver for a van.
The van is full of chairs.
A van is bigger than a car.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'van' with 'bus'; a bus is for public passenger transport, while a van is often for goods or small groups.
Meaning
Large vehicle for transport
Collocations
delivery van
|moving van
|police van
|camper van
|cargo van
Synonyms
truck (Generally refers to a larger, heavier goods vehicle than a van.)
|
minibus (Used for carrying people rather than goods; smaller than a bus.)
Antonyms
car (A smaller vehicle designed mainly for carrying people.)
Themes
transportation
|daily life
|work
|travel
|daily_life
Definition
A big vehicle with a roof, used to carry things or people.
A large enclosed motor vehicle used for carrying goods or groups of people.
NOUN
C1
2
Usage pattern:
in the van of [something]
This company is in the van of renewable energy research.
Ez a vállalat a megújuló energiával kapcsolatos kutatások élvonalában van.
The soldiers marched proudly in the van of the army.
A katonák büszkén meneteltek a hadsereg élén.
She was in the van of the feminist movement.
Learner examples
Our school is in the van of new teaching ideas.
Iskolánk az új tanítási módszerek élvonalában van.
He is in the van of change.
Ő a változás élén jár.
The group is in the van of science.
Common mistake:
Learners may not recognize this meaning and interpret 'van' only as a vehicle.
Meaning
Front position in movement or activity
Collocations
in the van of progress
|at the van of reform
Synonyms
vanguard (More formal; often used in military or metaphorical contexts.)
Antonyms
rear (The back part of a moving group.)
Themes
movement
|leadership
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The front part of a group of people moving or leading in an activity.
The leading position at the front of a moving group or in an activity or development.
Grammar
Dictionary form
van
IPA
GB/vˈæn/
US/vˈæn/
Syllables & stress
van (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (van)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: van
- Plural: van, vans
Word family
Forms
vans
noun
Related words
Expressions
in the van of
1/ˈɪn ðə vˈæn əv/
fixed phrase
formal
At the forefront of something
To be at the front or leading part of an activity, movement, or change.
Examples
- The organization has always been in the van of civil rights campaigns.
- Scientists here are in the van of space exploration.