vacant
[vey-kuh nt]
- having no contents; empty; void: a vacant niche.
- having no occupant; unoccupied: no vacant seats on this train.
- not in use: a vacant room.
- devoid of thought or reflection: a vacant mind.
- characterized by, showing, or proceeding from lack of thought or intelligence: a vacant answer; a vacant expression on a face.
- not occupied by an incumbent, official, or the like, as a benefice or office.
- free from work, business, activity, etc.: vacant hours.
- characterized by or proceeding from absence of occupation: a vacant life.
- devoid or destitute (often followed by of): He was vacant of human sympathy.
- Law.
- having no tenant and devoid of furniture, fixtures, etc. (distinguished from unoccupied): a vacant house.
- idle or unutilized; open to any claimant, as land.
- without an incumbent; having no heir or claimant; abandoned: a vacant estate.
Origin of vacant
1250–1300; Middle English < Latin vacant- (stem of vacāns, present participle of vacāre to be empty); see -ant
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for vacant
Contemporary Examples
Set among the vacant houses of suburban New Mexico, the film offers a bleak perspective on the possibility of growth and renewal.
This is a tremendous find, not just because he discovered all these first veterans of our first war in a vacant lot.
They are often set in quasi-rural areas, with vast parking lots and vacant land surrounding them.
There he unlocked a door and pointed dramatically to a vacant bed, looking beautifully white, wide and deep.
It takes a lot of hard work to appear that vacant, but Pedrad had been perfecting Kim since long before she landed on SNL.
Historical Examples
He turned and faced Percival, looking from him to his sandwich with vacant eyes.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
The feeling then was reciprocal, and he was proposed for the vacant seat.
The Grand Old ManRichard B. Cook
Novels are taken up to amuse the vacant hour—in this consists their use.
Mr. Gladstone was invited to the vacant place, but declined.
The Grand Old ManRichard B. Cook
A man cutting brush in a vacant lot leaned on his axe to look after us.
The Bacillus of BeautyHarriet Stark
vacant
- without any contents; empty
- (postpositive foll by of) devoid (of something specified)
- having no incumbent; unoccupieda vacant post
- having no tenant or occupanta vacant house
- characterized by or resulting from lack of thought or intelligent awarenessa vacant stare
- (of time, etc) not allocated to any activitya vacant hour in one's day
- spent in idleness or inactivitya vacant life
- law (of an estate, etc) having no heir or claimant
Word Origin
C13: from Latin vacāre to be empty
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for vacant
adj.
late 13c., from Old French vacant, from Latin vacantem (nominative vacans), present participle of vacare "to be empty" (see vain). Related: Vacantly.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper