vacant

adjective

va·​cant ˈvā-kənt 

1

: not occupied by an incumbent, possessor, or officer

a vacant office

vacant thrones

2

: being without content or occupant

a vacant seat on a bus

a vacant room

3

: free from activity or work

vacant hours

4

: devoid of thought, reflection, or expression

a vacant smile

5

: not lived in

vacant houses

6

a

: not put to use

vacant land

b

: having no heir or claimant : abandoned

a vacant estate

vacantly adverb

vacantness noun

Synonyms of vacant

• empty
• devoid
• barren

Choose the Right Synonym for vacant

empty, vacant, blank, void, vacuous mean lacking contents which could or should be present.

empty suggests a complete absence of contents.

an empty bucket

vacant suggests an absence of appropriate contents or occupants.

a vacant apartment

blank stresses the absence of any significant, relieving, or intelligible features on a surface.

a blank wall

void suggests absolute emptiness as far as the mind or senses can determine.

a statement void of meaning

vacuous suggests the emptiness of a vacuum and especially the lack of intelligence or significance.

a vacuous facial expression

Examples of vacant in a Sentence

These lockers are all vacant.

The seat was left vacant when the secretary resigned.

He had a vacant expression on his face.

Recent Examples on the Web

Under the new plan, the city would allow the current residential and life science space designation for P3 — around 330,000 square feet of vacant land on Tremont Street across from the current Madison Park building — to expire. —Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 20 Jan. 2026

Even before November, there will be special elections for four vacant House seats, including the one held, until recently, by the Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene. —Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2026

Gaethje also fell short in his second try at winning the UFC 155-pound belt, dropping a submission to Charles Oliveira for the vacant title in May 2022. —Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026

Fontana had succeeded Sergio Azzolari, who moved on to become Roberto Cavalli’s CEO, about a year after joining Dsquared2, taking on a post that had been vacant since 2017. —Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 19 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English vacaunt, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin vacant-, vacans, present participle of vacāre "to be empty or unoccupied, have space, be free,"; perhaps akin to Hittite wakkāari "lacks," wakšyi- "be lacking"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing vacant

• situations vacant
• vacant lot
• vacant possession

Kids Definition

vacant

adjective

va·​cant ˈvā-kənt 

1

: not filled, used, or lived in

a vacant house

2

: free from duties or care

a few vacant hours

3

: showing lack of thought

a vacant stare

vacantly adverb

Legal Definition

vacant

adjective

va·​cant

1

: not filled or occupied

2

a

: not put to use

vacant land

b

: having no heir or claimant

a vacant estate