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 increasing apartment vacancy rate and lack of a corresponding drop in rent have given them more fodder. — Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2026

Second, when a vacancy comes open, put the names of every judge who has served on one of the District Courts of Appeal for at least 10 years into a hat. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 July 2026

Created under the bipartisan Help America Vote Act to ensure fair, modern elections, the four-member commission now faces vacancies as the administration doubles down on its fraud-prevention agenda and appeals a court defeat. — Bill Barrow, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026

Here, emptiness is not vacancy, but composure, proportion and room for thought. — Spencer Elliott, Forbes.com, 10 July 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