vacancy

noun

va·​can·​cy ˈvā-kən(t)-sē 

plural vacancies

1

: a vacant office, post, or tenancy

2

a

: a vacating of an office, post, or piece of property

b

: the time such office or property is vacant

3

: physical or mental inactivity or relaxation : idleness

4

: empty space : void

specifically : an unoccupied site for an atom or ion in a crystal

5

: the state of being vacant : vacuity

6

archaic : an interval of leisure

Synonyms

• black hole
• blank
• blankness
• emptiness
• vacuity
• void

Examples of vacancy in a Sentence

School administrators are trying to fill vacancies before the beginning of the school year.

There were no vacancies at the hotel.

Recent Examples on the Web

Bolick was appointed to the seat in 2023 to fill a vacancy and is running for a full term. —Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024

McCoy said the district is trying to hire teachers to fill the vacancies, but the available pool of applicants either don’t have the necessary credentials or demand a higher rate of pay that the district cannot afford. —Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024

Building Strong Teams Requires Intentionality When hiring IT and cybersecurity professionals, your focus shouldn't be on filling immediate vacancies. —Casey Marquette, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

That year, Bouchard was appointed, filling a vacancy created by the death in office of John Nichols, a former top cop in Detroit and the former chief of Farmington Hills. —Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

vac(ant) + -ancy, in part after Medieval Latin vacantia

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 6

Kids Definition

vacancy

noun

va·​can·​cy ˈvā-kən-sē 

plural vacancies

1

: something (as an office or hotel room) that is vacant

2

: empty space

3

: the state of being vacant