vacate

verb va·cate \ ˈvā-ˌkāt , vā-ˈkāt \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 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

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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

But on Thursday, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thaddeus Stephan Machnik — the same judge who issued the default judgment — agreed to vacate the judgement and reinstate the case, according to court records.

— genevieve bookwalter, chicagotribune.com, "Cook County judge vacates Evanston alderman's $64K default judgment," 11 July 2018
Prosecutors have even said the initial charge should be vacated after the arresting officer landed on a list of law enforcement officials suspected of lying in court and framing witnesses over the years.

— NBC News, "Meek Mill's supporters rally at Philadelphia court ahead of hearing in case," 18 June 2018
In an opinion issued earlier this month, a panel of Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals judges affirmed Morgan's conviction, but vacated his sentence and remanded the case back to state court for re-sentencing.

— heather nolan, NOLA.com, "Convicted killer must return to court for re-sentencing, appeals court rules," 30 May 2018
Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, vacating all Israeli settlements and removing its soldiers.

— New York Times, "What Is the Gaza Fence and Why Has It Set Off Protests Against Israel?," 16 May 2018
Houser was appointed to the seat vacated when Anthony Hairston was elected to Cleveland City Council.

— karen farkas, cleveland.com, "Cuyahoga County Council District 10 race is close, according to absentee votes," 8 May 2018
In March 2018, an appeals panel vacated Syed’s conviction and ruled he should be granted a new trial.

— kc baker, PEOPLE.com, "Friend of Serial Murder Victim Claims Adnan Syed's Alibi Witness Is Unreliable: 'She's Riding the Publicity'," 26 Apr. 2018
The court remanded Pines' case to a lower court and vacated his punishment, instead ordering the board to re-evaluate the scope of disciplinary action based on the charges the court upheld.

— anna beahm, AL.com, "Active shooter situation ongoing on Blount County," 14 Apr. 2018
The state appealed a lower court judge's ruling last year that vacated Syed's conviction and ordered a new trial.

— justin fenton, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland's second highest court upholds decision overturning Adnan Syed’s murder conviction," 29 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1643

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

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