vacant

[ vey-kuhnt ]

/ ˈveɪ kənt /

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See synonyms for vacant on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR vacant

5 blank, vacuous, inane.

See synonyms for vacant on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of vacant

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, Old French, from Latin vacant- (stem of vacāns, present participle of vacāre “to be empty”); see -ant

synonym study for vacant

1, 2. See empty.

OTHER WORDS FROM vacant

va·cant·ly, adverbva·cant·ness, nounnon·va·cant, adjectivenon·va·cant·ly, adverb

un·va·cant, adjectiveun·va·cant·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH vacant

vacant , vacuous

Words nearby vacant

vaad, Vaal, Vaasa, vac, vacancy, vacant, vacant possession, vacate, vacated, vacation, Vacation Bible School

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use vacant in a sentence

In 2016, the city agreed to purchase a downtown high-rise, but it now sits vacant, because of asbestos violations, costing taxpayers about $18,000 a day.
Morning Report: Hotel Workers Want Their Jobs Back|Voice of San Diego|September 8, 2020|Voice of San Diego
For weeks, city leaders have been reeling over the hundreds of millions of dollars it could take to fix or walk away from the downtown high rise that has for months sat vacant.
City Is Halting Rent Payments on 101 Ash St.|Lisa Halverstadt|September 2, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Meanwhile, on the windward side, the mover may have exposed a formerly interior penguin to the boundary by leaving his old spot vacant.
Math of the Penguins|Susan D'Agostino|August 17, 2020|Quanta Magazine
There’s a lot of vacant industrial space that could easily house tens of thousands of units.
Why Rent Control Doesn’t Work (Ep. 373 Rebroadcast)|Stephen J. Dubner|March 12, 2020|Freakonomics

There are of course plenty of theories as to why so many storefronts in New York are vacant.
Why Rent Control Doesn’t Work (Ep. 373 Rebroadcast)|Stephen J. Dubner|March 12, 2020|Freakonomics
Set among the vacant houses of suburban New Mexico, the film offers a bleak perspective on the possibility of growth and renewal.
After The Fall: Introducing The Anti-Villain|Rich Goldstein|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is a tremendous find, not just because he discovered all these first veterans of our first war in a vacant lot.
The Real-Life Raiders of the Lost Ark|Alex Belth|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They are often set in quasi-rural areas, with vast parking lots and vacant land surrounding them.
Charging Up|The Daily Beast|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There he unlocked a door and pointed dramatically to a vacant bed, looking beautifully white, wide and deep.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire|H.L. Mencken|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It takes a lot of hard work to appear that vacant, but Pedrad had been perfecting Kim since long before she landed on SNL.
SNL’s Kim Kardashian Konundrum: Why Nasim Pedrad’s Exit Hurts So Much|Jason Lynch|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He deposited it on the vacant seat, clambered up behind the wheel, and started.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
About seven months ago the governor presented Juan de Miranda for a ración that was vacant.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
I didn't like to be done; the man urged me to occupy one place that was yet vacant; my evil genius prompted me to do so.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Goodell lighted another cigarette and nonchalantly seated himself in the vacant chair.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
As soon as any become vacant, I shall take care to provide for them as speedily as possible, as your Majesty so piously orders me.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various

British Dictionary definitions for vacant

vacant

/ (ˈveɪkənt) /

adjective

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

Derived forms of vacant

vacantly, adverbvacantness, noun

Word Origin for vacant

C13: from Latin vacāre to be empty

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

vacant

OTHER WORDS FOR vacant

Origin of vacant

synonym study for vacant

OTHER WORDS FROM vacant

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH vacant

Words nearby vacant

Words related to vacant

How to use vacant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vacant

Derived forms of vacant

Word Origin for vacant