vacate

verb va·cate \ ˈvā-ˌkāt , vā-ˈkāt \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

Definition of vacate

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

See vacate defined for English-language learners

See vacate defined for kids

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 of vacate from the Web

According to the Post, Hupp's involvement in the search included reaching out to a local real estate firm at a time when Pruitt was vacating a condo owned by the wife of a lobbyist for energy and transportation issues.

— clare foran, CNN, "Washington Post: EPA aide assisted in Pruitt housing search," 3 Apr. 2018
As a result of the problems, 252 UMKC students earlier this school year were forced to vacate their dorms, according to the lawsuit filed last week in the Jackson County Circuit Court.

— max londberg and mará rose williams, kansascity, "'Reckless' work by JE Dunn, Gould Evans forced UMKC students from housing, suit says | The Kansas City Star," 30 Mar. 2018
And, this week, Virgil Abloh assumed Jones’s previously vacated post at Louis Vuitton.

— steff yotka, Vogue, "Haider Ackermann Exits Berluti," 30 Mar. 2018
The Los Angeles Times, in an August 30, 1981 investigative story, suggested a third possible reason for Rajneesh’s unexpected decision to vacate his ashram.

— win mccormack, The New Republic, "Outside the Limits of the Human Imagination," 27 Mar. 2018
In November, after spending 23 years in jail, he was exonerated by DNA evidence that vacated his sentence.

— angela helm, The Root, "After Being Wrongly Jailed for 23 Years, Chicago Man Gets His Old Job Back. Whoopee," 27 Mar. 2018
Washington Nationals Dusty Baker became the latest victim to vacate the manager’s office because of the Nationals' inability to get to the World Series.

— tom haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "5 teams to watch in the National League and American League in 2018," 24 Mar. 2018
When Indianapolis Public Schools decided to vacate Broad Ripple High School at the end of this school year, the intent was to sell the property in what could be a lucrative sale.

— arika herron, Indianapolis Star, "IPS hoped to sell Broad Ripple High School for millions, but legislature puts that plan on hold," 14 Mar. 2018
Michigan removed the Final Four banners from Crisler Arena and vacated 113 wins.

— mark zeigler, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Michigan coach says it's time for Steve Fisher to be honored in Ann Arbor," 14 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vacate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of vacate

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, ¹vacuum

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First Known Use: 1643

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