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

And while rents are increasing, Apartment List data shows Chicago’s apartment vacancy rate of 4.9% slipped 0.7 percentage points compared to this time last year. —Lizzie Kane, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2025

With more housing options for renters and more vacancies for landlords, the market is tipping in renters' favor. —Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025

Election reform bill Polis also signed House Bill 1315, which changes the state’s controversial vacancy committee process. —Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 12 May 2025

The department has 165 vacancies — 1,873 officers when the city’s staffing model calls for 2,038 — and that’s expected to grow quickly with 35 officers slated to retire or leave for other reasons in June. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 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