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

Developers are building new offices outside of Metro Manila as office vacancies in the nation’s capital have risen after the government banned online gaming operators in the country. —Ian Sayson, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025

State of play: The sale comes at a time when vacancy rates in the Triangle's office market hover around 21% — a record high. —Zachery Eanes, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025

The vacancy rate for IHS professionals stands at about 30%, and 36% for physicians, according to the NIHB. —Solcyré Burga, TIME, 21 Mar. 2025

Jérémie’s return, as if to reclaim his place in the community, holds the promise of filling a vacancy in the life of the village. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 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