Main entry: forefront, vanguard, cutting edge
Definition: the position of greatest importance or advancement; the leading position in any movement or field
Usage: the Cotswolds were once at the forefront of woollen manufacturing in England; the idea of motion was always to the forefront of his mind and central to his philosophy
Definition: the leading units moving at the head of an army
Main entry: avant-garde, van, vanguard, new wave
Definition: any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)