vacate

verb va·cate \ ˈvā-ˌkāt , vā-ˈkāt \

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

Examples: vacate in a Sentence

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

Mikie Sherrill – New Jersey The former Navy helicopter pilot is gunning for a seat being vacated by a retiring Republican.

— molly ball, Time, "‘It’s a Sea Change’ for Democratic Women in the Primaries," 14 June 2018
David Perez, a former Penelas aide and chief spokesman at county hall in the early 2000s, filed quietly last week to run for a northwest Dade state Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Rene Garcia.

— david smiley, miamiherald, "Penelas protege to carry Democrat hopes for northwest Dade Florida Senate seat," 13 June 2018
Kilpatrick has filed a motion to have his sentence vacated, set aside or corrected.

— anne branigin, The Root, "Since We’re in a Pardoning Mood ... Former Detroit Mayor Shoots His Pardon Shot With Trump in New Blog Post," 13 June 2018
Levi Sanders is in a crowded field of nine Democrats and three Republicans, all vying to fill the seat being vacated by Democratic incumbent Carol Shea-Porter.

— matt viser, BostonGlobe.com, "Bernie Sanders hasn’t endorsed his candidate son," 7 June 2018
Harriet Drummond had vacated the seat to serve in the Alaska House of Representatives.

— devin kelly, Anchorage Daily News, "West Anchorage Assemblyman Tim Steele resigns for health reasons," 6 June 2018
The group, known as U of L PAC, is suing the NCAA seeking the reinstatement of wins the Louisville men's basketball team has vacated, including the 2013 national championship.

— chris white, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville board of trustees hostile to fans, says attorney suing NCAA," 2 June 2018
Brie Larson, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Alfred Molina are vying for the actors’ branch seat being vacated by Tom Hanks.

— rebecca keegan, HWD, "Oscar Voters Face Another Big Decision," 1 June 2018
Related The 6th District is an open seat being vacated by Rep. John Delaney, a Democrat running for president in 2020.

— chris fuchs /, NBC News, "For Congressional candidate Aruna Miller, politics is about 'helping the public'," 16 May 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1643

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

See Words from the same year