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

• emptiness
• 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

An office tower may look unattractive on paper because vacancy is high, but a closer look could reveal that the property sits in a desirable submarket poised for growth, or that new infrastructure, universities or medical centers are about to create long-term tenants. —Jack Mullen, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025

Special elections for those vacancies this November could change the balance of power or preserve the DFL’s one-seat majority. —Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 10 Sep. 2025

The office has 37 unfilled positions, amounting to a 10% vacancy rate. —Margaret Shreiner, jsonline.com, 10 Sep. 2025

The vacancy would be filled by the mayor pro tem; that is currently Ryana Parks-Shaw, who has announced her candidacy for mayor in the 2027 local election. —Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 10 Sep. 2025

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