vacancy

noun

va·​can·​cy ˈvā-kən(t)-sē 

plural vacancies

1

: a vacant office, post, or tenancy

2

a

: a vacating of an office, post, or piece of property

b

: the time such office or property is vacant

3

: physical or mental inactivity or relaxation : idleness

4

: empty space : void

specifically : an unoccupied site for an atom or ion in a crystal

5

: the state of being vacant : vacuity

6

archaic : an interval of leisure

Synonyms of vacancy

• emptiness
• void

Examples of vacancy in a Sentence

School administrators are trying to fill vacancies before the beginning of the school year.

There were no vacancies at the hotel.

Recent Examples on the Web

This deep into the offseason, most of the coaching vacancies have already been filled. —Jesse Granger, New York Times, 16 June 2026

Currently, the department has effectively zero vacancies because positions are filled quickly, Runner said. —Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 16 June 2026

Hotels are reporting unexpected vacancies. —Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 13 June 2026

Relocating would also help a central business district that is experiencing high vacancy rates in office towers. —Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 12 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

vac(ant) + -ancy, in part after Medieval Latin vacantia

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 6

Kids Definition

vacancy

noun

va·​can·​cy ˈvā-kən-sē 

plural vacancies

1

: something (as an office or hotel room) that is vacant

2

: empty space

3

: the state of being vacant