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 Toronto Sceptres and Boston Fleet also currently have vacancies at the head coach position after Troy Ryan (San Jose) and Kris Sparre (Hamilton) accepted jobs with the league’s new expansion teams. —Hailey Salvian, New York Times, 2 June 2026

Long before years of vacancies and disinvestment altered the landscape, Prospect was lined with businesses, gathering places and institutions that served as the center of daily life for many Black residents. —J.m. Banks june 1, Kansas City Star, 1 June 2026

The structural scarcity that's kept vacancy near historic lows continues to reward landlords with quality inventory, and entertainment tenants are proving to be among the more motivated, creditworthy takers of that inventory. —Naveen Jaggi, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026

Over the course of the last few years, the number of vacancies in the mall has also increased, exceeding 50% in January. —Elizabeth Owens-Schiele, Chicago Tribune, 1 June 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