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

• 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

On July 30, Tate named Keli Zinn, LSU’s executive deputy AD, as Rutgers’ new director of intercollegiate athletics, filling a vacancy that had remained open for nearly a year. —Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2025

He was appointed by Newsom to the Senate in 2021 to fill the vacancy created by Kamala Harris’ election as vice president. —George Skelton, Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2025

On the agenda includes reorganizing the City Council to select a new mayor and address vacancies on several boards and commissions after Wallace’s resignation, said Sheree Juarez, a spokesperson for the city of South Lake Tahoe. —Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2025

According to the Apartment Association of Metro Denver, the vacancy rate for Denver itself is 7%, with an average rent of $1,849 a month. —Matthew Geiger, Denver Post, 14 Oct. 2025

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