The vanguard is the group at the very front of a movement, army, or field of innovation. The word comes from military history, where the vanguard was the advance guard of soldiers who marched ahead of the main army, facing danger first and clearing the path for everyone behind them.

Today, we use vanguard to describe people or organizations leading the way in any field. Scientists working on breakthrough cancer treatments are in the vanguard of medical research. Artists who create entirely new styles of music or painting are part of the vanguard of their art form. When a company develops revolutionary technology that changes how everyone else does business, that company is in the vanguard of its industry.

Being in the vanguard means taking risks and trying things no one has proven will work. The Wright brothers were in the vanguard of human flight. Katherine Johnson and other early mathematicians and computer experts at NASA were in the vanguard of space exploration. These pioneers faced uncertainty and skepticism, but their courage and innovation opened doors for everyone who followed.

When someone describes a person or group as the vanguard, they're recognizing the bravery to venture into unknown territory first.