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

• 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 Orange County jail, the fourth-largest in the state, had a vacancy rate of about 25% when the panel began its work. —Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 June 2025

Margins this close in the House mean that any vacancy, particularly in a swing district like Bacon's, could significantly impact the party's legislative agenda and ability to pass bills. —Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 June 2025

The Knicks reportedly were denied permission from five teams to interview their head coach for the coaching vacancy. —Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2025

He was appointed to his seat in 2021 to fill the vacancy created after Kamala Harris became vice president and won election the following year. —Claudia Grisales, NPR, 17 June 2025

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