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

It is understood Keane would be open to the Celtic vacancy.

Read more on BBC

Its retail and office vacancy rates are among the highest in Los Angeles County.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Following Tom Willis' decision to play in France next year, England have a vacancy to fill at number eight.

Read more on BBC

There were 131,000 vacancies for adult care workers in England, a report by charity, Skills for Care, found last year.

Read more on BBC

But in August, the White House was unexpectedly able to fill a vacancy after Adriana Kugler, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, resigned her seat around six months early.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• gap 
• job 
• vacuum 
• void