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

The district currently has seven vacancies among its firefighter-paramedic ranks, Snedeker noted. — Darrielle Fair, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

If a vacancy occurred at least 130 days before the next statewide direct primary election, an appointee would serve temporarily, and voters would choose a supervisor at that election to complete the remainder of the term. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Rankin said the board is specifically focused on avoiding conflicts of interest in contracting, strengthening workplace culture, establishing procedures for staff to raise concerns and reviewing how vacancies and reassignments are addressed. — Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026

But Braswell also encouraged legislators to fill the several vacancies on the board. — Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 14 Oct. 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