vacate

verb

vacated; vacating

transitive verb

1
a
: to deprive of an incumbent or occupant
b
: to give up the incumbency or occupancy of
2
: to make legally void : annul

intransitive verb

: to vacate an office, post, or tenancy

Examples of vacate in a Sentence

She refused to vacate her post even under increased pressure. The election will fill the congressional seat vacated by the retiring senator. The police told everyone to vacate the premises. Students must vacate their rooms at the end of the semester. The court vacated the conviction.
Recent Examples on the Web In 2021, when Trump was no longer in office, the Supreme Court ordered the lower court to vacate a ruling against Trump and dismiss it as moot. Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 15 Mar. 2024 In May, Justice, who is finishing up his second term as governor, will seek the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democrat Joe Manchin. John Raby, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024 In court in 2021, Peterson's death sentence was officially vacated, resentencing him to life in prison. Christine Pelisek, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 In a recent case concerning share buybacks, the Fifth Circuit vacated the rule in December 2023 after the SEC didn’t respond to comments and didn’t show that opportunistic stock buybacks were a genuine problem that needed to be solved by the commission. Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024 That settlement resulted in a contempt order being vacated against a journalist who was being asked to name her sources. CBS News, 29 Feb. 2024 The only contest without an incumbent was taking place in the east San Fernando Valley, where seven candidates were seeking to fill the seat being vacated this year by council President Paul Krekorian, first elected in 2009. David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Placer County In Placer County, three county supervisor positions were up for grabs, including an open seat in the 1st District vacated by Bonnie Gore. Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024 The candidates are running to fill the seat vacated by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who died last year. Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vacate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin vacātus, past participle of vacāre "to annul," going back to Latin, "to be empty, have space" (sense probably by confusion with Medieval Latin vacuāre "to annul," going back to Latin, "to empty," derivative of vacuus "empty") — more at vacant, vacuum entry 1

First Known Use

1643, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of vacate was in 1643

Dictionary Entries Near vacate

Cite this Entry

“Vacate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vacate. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

vacate

verb
vacated; vacating
: to leave vacant

Legal Definition

vacate

verb
va·​cate
vacated; vacating

transitive verb

1
: to make void : annul, set aside
vacate a lower court order
2
a
: to make vacant
b
: to give up the occupancy of

intransitive verb

: to vacate an office, post, or tenancy

More from Merriam-Webster on vacate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!