vacate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
vacates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
vacated,
past participle, past
-
vacating
present participle
-
to give up possession or occupancy of.
to vacate an apartment.
-
to give up or relinquish (an office, position, etc.).
She recently vacated her position as president of the organization.
-
to render inoperative; deprive of validity; void; annul.
to vacate a legal judgment.
-
to cause to be empty or unoccupied; make vacant.
to vacate one's mind of worries.
verb (used without object)
-
vacates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
vacated,
past participle, past
-
vacating
present participle
-
to withdraw from occupancy; surrender possession.
We will have to vacate when our lease expires.
-
to give up or leave a position, office, etc.
-
to leave; go away.
verb
-
to cause (something) to be empty, esp by departing from or abandoning it
to vacate a room
-
(also intr) to give up the tenure, possession, or occupancy of (a place, post, etc); leave or quit
-
law
-
to cancel or rescind
-
to make void or of no effect; annul
-
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
vacatesimple
-
vacatessimple
-
have vacatedperfect
-
has vacatedperfect
-
am vacatingprogressive
-
are vacatingprogressive
-
is vacatingprogressive
-
have been vacatingperfect progressive
-
has been vacatingperfect progressive
Past
-
vacatedsimple
-
had vacatedperfect
-
was vacatingprogressive
-
were vacatingprogressive
-
had been vacatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of vacate
First recorded in 1635–45; from Latin vacātus, past participle of vacāre “to be empty”; cf. vacuum
Explanation
If someone asks you to vacate the room, you'd better pack up your things and go. When you vacate something, you leave it behind, usually empty. When you stay at a hotel, you're required to vacate the room at check-out time. The same goes for the last day of your lease on your apartment or after closing on the sale of your house. In all of these cases, you've got to get going and take all of your stuff with you. The verb vacate can also be used in conjunction with leaving a job, often an appointed office.
Vocabulary lists containing vacate
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Words for the High School Graduate
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Silva, 29, enters the contest on a 14-fight win streak across different promotions and is the favourite to capture the vacant title after Valentina Shevchenko was forced to vacate the belt last month through injury.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Having a conviction thrown out is not enough to do so: A court can vacate someone’s conviction for a number of reasons, including an ineffective attorney or significant errors committed by the judge or prosecution.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
The plaintiffs asked the court to declare the surveillance policy unlawful, vacate it and prohibit Homeland Security from continuing to collect and maintain records describing individuals’ protected First Amendment activities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
In this case, you would need to file an appeal with an appellate court, a motion to modify alimony, and/or a motion to vacate a prior order.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
A court had made it clear that Malcolm X and his family would have to vacate the Elmhurst house for its return to the adjudged legal owners, Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Boston-based Judge Burroughs wrote in Wednesday's ruling: "The Court vacates and sets aside the Freeze Orders and Termination Letters as violative of the First Amendment."
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2025
South Korea’s constitution stipulates that the prime minister, then a descending order of Cabinet officials, can take over if the president vacates his position or is otherwise unable to carry out his duties.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2024
Where Mehretu saturates space, Sorey vacates it, yet both painter and composer offer vital examples of how to create at full scale when the times impel others to reduce their ambition.
From New York Times ● Sep. 28, 2022
The signing of Barr was the next step — an important piece for depth at the position Parsons vacates when he joins the defensive front.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 8, 2022
Now one man who is advanced or discharged vacates a position, which is immediately filled by the man next in line for promotion.
From The Transgressors Story of a Great Sin by Francis A. Adams
I saw the ruling pop up on the screen: the Supreme Court unanimously vacated my convictions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
By 2026, they had vacated seven of eight.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
When Oleksandr Usyk vacated the IBF title and Frank Sanchez agreed to step aside, Itauma's fight with Hrgovic was elevated into a world-title contest.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Curtis, a 68-year-old attorney, was appointed by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors in the spring of 2025 to fill the position vacated by two previous registrars who resigned for health reasons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Celia sounds like a handful,” she said after we’d vacated the cafeteria and moved into the rec room.
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
Under the settlement, TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and an additional $100 million after entering an order vacating a prior consent decree against its predecessor Musical.ly, the DOJ said Friday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
"Under the settlement, TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and an additional $100 million upon entry of an order vacating a prior consent decree entered against TikTok's predecessor, Musical.ly," the department said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Republican Tom Sell, the nominee in the West Texas seat that Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, is vacating, has millions of dollars worth of assets.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
Declan Rice pulled into a wide position, vacating his central midfield position, leaving space into which Harry Kane would drop deep.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
But the streets and the square were emptying fast; the old men were folding up their newspapers and vacating their benches.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
