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the vanguard

noun [S]
 
 
/ˈvæŋ.ɡɑːd/ US  /-ɡɑːrd/

Definition

the part of an army or navy that leads an attack on an enemy → Compare rearguardParts of armies and groups of servicemen a group of people who lead the development of new ideas, or a leading position in the development of something: He is in the vanguard of economic reform. → See also the forefrontDescribing the leading position
(Definition of the vanguard noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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