vacancy

[vey-kuhn-see]

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.

vacancy

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• nonvacancy noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of vacancy¹

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

Example Sentences

“While job losses are not high compared to past economic downturns, job vacancies and job transitions have been low, so it has been relatively difficult for unemployed people to transition back to work,” it added.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Finding space in shopping centers when retail vacancy is near historic-low levels is another challenge.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

New York has long been an expensive and difficult place to build housing, and while Mamdani has ideas to boost supply, some, such as a rent freeze, will likely discourage supply and vacancies.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. office vacancy rate, near a record high.

Read more on Barron's

The jobs market is particularly challenging for young people, with 2025 figures showing a falling number of vacancies and fewer people on payrolls.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• gap 
• job 
• vacuum 
• void