vacate

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verb va·cate \ˈvā-ˌkāt, vā-ˈkāt\

Definition of vacate

vacated

;

vacating

transitive verb
1a : to deprive of an incumbent or occupantb : to give up the incumbency or occupancy of
2 : to make legally void : annul
intransitive verb
: to vacate an office, post, or tenancy

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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

Ryanair has written to the Italian government offering to replace short-haul routes that are vacated by Alitalia during administration.

— benjamin d katz, Bloomberg.com, "IAG Chases Budget Long-Haul Travelers on Alitalia's Home Turf", 1 June 2017
The only defendant convicted for the July 2012 armed robbery of a Tulane University student marijuana dealer asked the 4th Circuit Court of Appeal on Wednesday (May 31) to vacate his conviction and 10-year prison sentence.

— ken daley, NOLA.com, "Co-defendant of acquitted Tulane football star appeals armed robbery conviction", 31 May 2017
Many of the buildings on the campus are no longer safe for staff or patient use and have been vacated.

— bryan lowry, kansascity, "Mental health: Kansas faces tough questions about future of state hospital", 31 May 2017
The court also directed the judge, state District Judge George Gallagher of Fort Worth, to vacate all subsequent orders, including one that set a September trial date.

— patrick svitek, star-telegram, "Paxton wins round in his bid to oust Fort Worth judge", 31 May 2017
Davidson won a special election to take the Ohio House seat vacated by former GOP House Speaker John Boehner.

— chad pergram, Fox News, "Gianforte's Capitol Hill arrival won't be typical special election formality", 27 May 2017
The special election will fill a seat vacated by Tom Price, President Trump’s choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

— richard fausset, New York Times, "Georgia Democrats Know Close Won’t Count This Time", 27 May 2017
The U.S. Air Force put her up in a hotel three blocks from the president’s palace, in a room being vacated by a female intelligence officer who left her an AK-47 and handgun secretly stashed in the bureau drawer.

— National Geographic, "The Woman Behind the Only National Memorial for Female Vets", 25 May 2017
And in 2010, President Obama nominated her to the federal bench after US District Judge Ronald M. Whyte vacated a seat to assume senior judge status.

— davey alba, Wired News, "The Meme-Worthy Judge of Silicon Valley's Titans", 21 Apr. 2015

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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