vacant

adjective

va·​cant ˈvā-kənt 

1

: not occupied by an incumbent, possessor, or officer

a vacant office

vacant thrones

2

: being without content or occupant

a vacant seat on a bus

a vacant room

3

: free from activity or work : disengaged

vacant hours

4

: devoid of thought, reflection, or expression

a vacant smile

5

: not lived in

vacant houses

6

a

: not put to use

vacant land

b

: having no heir or claimant : abandoned

a vacant estate

vacantly adverb

vacantness noun

Synonyms

• bare
• blank
• clean
• devoid
• empty
• stark
• toom [chiefly Scottish]
• vacuous
• void

Choose the Right Synonym for vacant

empty, vacant, blank, void, vacuous mean lacking contents which could or should be present.

empty suggests a complete absence of contents.

an empty bucket

vacant suggests an absence of appropriate contents or occupants.

a vacant apartment

blank stresses the absence of any significant, relieving, or intelligible features on a surface.

a blank wall

void suggests absolute emptiness as far as the mind or senses can determine.

a statement void of meaning

vacuous suggests the emptiness of a vacuum and especially the lack of intelligence or significance.

a vacuous facial expression

Examples of vacant in a Sentence

These lockers are all vacant.

The seat was left vacant when the secretary resigned.

He had a vacant expression on his face.

Recent Examples on the Web

In March 2021, a Fresno man with a history of mental illness named Joseph Gutierrez was shot to death after a struggle with a 21-year-old guard outside a vacant building. —Calmatters, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024

The bulk of the properties listed last week are retail — some with tenants, some vacant and some with an office component — but the offerings also include an industrial property in unincorporated Arapahoe County and a Greenwood Village parking lot where an office project could be developed. —Thomas Gounley, The Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English vacaunt, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin vacant-, vacans, present participle of vacāre "to be empty or unoccupied, have space, be free,"; perhaps akin to Hittite wakkāari "lacks," wakšyi- "be lacking"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing vacant

• situations vacant
• vacant lot
• vacant possession

Kids Definition

vacant

adjective

va·​cant ˈvā-kənt 

1

: not filled, used, or lived in

a vacant house

2

: free from duties or care

a few vacant hours

3

: showing lack of thought

a vacant stare

vacantly adverb

Legal Definition

vacant

adjective

va·​cant

1

: not filled or occupied

2

a

: not put to use

vacant land

b

: having no heir or claimant

a vacant estate