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 Giants, who fired Brian Daboll in November, and the Dolphins own two of the NFL’s eight head-coaching vacancies, along with the Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona Cardinals. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026

The nominee pool might have been limited by the residency requirement, and this is not the first Supreme Court vacancy where that rule appears to have suppressed applications. —Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2026

The Heise, Pearce, Weber (HPW) Labor Market Tightness Index summarizes current wage pressures and forecasts near-term wage inflation based on the quits rate and job vacancies per job seeker. —Rachel Barber, USA Today, 9 Jan. 2026

The Atlanta Falcons became the third team to have a vacancy and wasted little time, firing head coach Raheem Morris on Sunday. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 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