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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

• nonvacancy noun

Etymology

Origin of vacancy

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

Example Sentences

Retail property vacancy downtown could be as high as 40%, Moore said, with some neighborhoods, such as the Historic Core, suffering more than others.

From Los Angeles Times

Lululemon Athletica founder Chip Wilson has cautioned prospective CEO candidates that the company’s challenges stem from its board rather than its leadership vacancy.

From The Wall Street Journal

This is due to "upper floor vacancies, which is tied to economic cycles, to shifts in business and to A-grade office space being available elsewhere".

From BBC

The company’s website says it is seeking to fill more than 100 AI-related vacancies in San Jose and Seattle.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the near term, given the significant vacancies in the top ranks of China's PLA, "it would be incredibly difficult for China to launch large military campaigns against Taiwan", the experts said.

From Barron's

Related Words

• gap
• job
• vacuum
• void