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

Following the tumultuous season, the team opted to move on from head coach John Harbaugh, who promptly landed the New York Giants head coaching vacancy. —Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026

The latest data was published in the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce’s yearly economic indicators report, which offered an overall bleak picture of the Bay Area economy, including declining buying power among residents and deepening office vacancies in the city. —Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2026

Aledo voters will head to the polls March 31 to elect a new City Council member to fill the vacancy left after the death of Nelson Rowls in December. —Tanya Babbar, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026

Chris Kasmer, an Orland Park resident who still serves on the board, was appointed to his vacancy. —Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 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