vacancy

American  

[vey-kuhn-see] / ˈveɪ kən si /

noun

plural

vacancies

1. the state of being vacant; emptiness.

2. a vacant, empty, or unoccupied place, as untenanted lodgings or offices.

   This building still has no vacancies.

3. a gap; opening; breach.

4. an unoccupied position or office.

   a vacancy on the Supreme Court.

5. lack of thought or intelligence; vacuity.

   a look of utter vacancy.

6. Crystallography. (in a crystal) an imperfection resulting from an unoccupied lattice position.

7. Archaic. absence of activity; idleness.

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vacancy British  

/ ˈveɪkənsɪ /

noun

1. the state or condition of being vacant or unoccupied; emptiness

2. an unoccupied post or office

   we have a vacancy in the accounts department

3. an unoccupied room in a boarding house, hotel, etc

   put the "No Vacancies" sign in the window

4. lack of thought or intelligent awareness; inanity

   an expression of vacancy on one's face

5. physics a defect in a crystalline solid caused by the absence of an atom, ion, or molecule from its position in the crystal lattice

6. obsolete idleness or a period spent in idleness

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Other Word Forms

• nonvacancy
  noun

Etymology

Origin of vacancy

From the Medieval Latin word vacantia, dating back to 1570–80. See vacant, -ancy

Explanation

Vacancy refers to something being unoccupied. If a hotel has vacancies, there are rooms available. Have you ever noticed a store that's boarded up and empty, with signs like "For sale" or "For rent"? That's an example of vacancy: the store has no one in it. An unrented apartment is a vacancy, as is a house with no one living in it. Hotels put up a sign saying "No vacancies" when they have every room filled. It could help you remember what vacancy means if you know that a vacant lot is an empty lot.

Example Sentences

“Yes, we did!” shouted Martha Escutia, the former California legislator who was passed over in 2012 when she applied to fill a vacancy on the Whittier City Council.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

But that also will mean no new vacancy on the Fed Board; Warsh will take Miran’s seat; Miran’s term officially ended in January.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

He said the office holds one of the largest property datasets in the country, and the information can reveal patterns about land use, vacancy and redevelopment opportunities.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

If Powell departs the board, Trump could appoint either Miran or a new candidate to fill that vacancy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

At first, the Navy hoped to get William to fill the vacancy.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Related Words

• gap
• job
• vacuum
• void