vacant

American  

[vey-kuhnt] / ˈveɪ kənt /

adjective

1. having no contents; empty; void.

   a vacant niche.

2. having no occupant; unoccupied.

   no vacant seats on this train.

3. not in use.

   a vacant room.

4. devoid of thought or reflection.

   a vacant mind.

5. characterized by, showing, or proceeding from lack of thought or intelligence.

   a vacant answer; a vacant expression on a face.

   Synonyms:

   inane, vacuous, blank

6. not occupied by an incumbent, official, or the like, as a benefice or office.

7. free from work, business, activity, etc..

   vacant hours.

8. characterized by or proceeding from absence of occupation.

   a vacant life.

9. devoid or destitute (often followed byof ).

   He was vacant of human sympathy.

10. Law.

    1. having no tenant and devoid of furniture, fixtures, etc. (unoccupied ).

       a vacant house.

    2. idle or unutilized; open to any claimant, as land.

    3. without an incumbent; having no heir or claimant; abandoned.

       a vacant estate.

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vacant British  

/ ˈveɪkənt /

adjective

1. without any contents; empty

2. devoid (of something specified)

3. having no incumbent; unoccupied

   a vacant post

4. having no tenant or occupant

   a vacant house

5. characterized by or resulting from lack of thought or intelligent awareness

   a vacant stare

6. (of time, etc) not allocated to any activity

   a vacant hour in one's day

7. spent in idleness or inactivity

   a vacant life

8. law (of an estate, etc) having no heir or claimant

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Related Words

See empty.

Other Word Forms

• nonvacant adjective
• nonvacantly adverb
• unvacant adjective
• unvacantly adverb
• vacantly adverb
• vacantness noun

Etymology

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”); -ant

Example Sentences

The original legislation would have taxed both vacant residences and short-term rentals, but the measure was amended to apply only to vacant residences.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

The current language would apply an $8,000 tax to vacant residences, which are defined as a residence unoccupied for more than 182 days a year.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Earlier, Cameron became a two-weight world champion with a unanimous decision win over Michaela Kotaskova to claim the vacant WBO light-middleweight world title.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

Streets in the state capital are lined with vacant storefronts and empty office buildings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

He hung up then and sat for a time, his mind vacant.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Related Words

• bare
• deserted
• idle
• unemployed
• unfilled
• uninhabited
• unused