vacate

[vey-keyt or, esp. British, vuh-keyt, vey-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vacate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), va·cat·ed, va·cat·ing.

to give up possession or occupancy of: to vacate an apartment.

to give up or relinquish (an office, position, etc.): to vacate the presidency of a firm.

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), va·cat·ed, va·cat·ing.

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.

Origin of vacate

1635–45; < Latin vacātus past participle of vacāre to be empty; see -ate¹

Related formsva·cat·a·ble, adjectivepre·va·cate, verb (used with object), pre·va·cat·ed, pre·va·cat·ing.re·va·cate, verb (used with object), re·va·cat·ed, re·va·cat·ing.un·va·cat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for vacated

relinquish, quit, annul, revoke, reverse, renounce, void, evacuate, dissolve, quash, withdraw, abandon, depart, empty, rescind, leave, discharge, clear, retract, abrogate

Examples from the Web for vacated

Contemporary Examples of vacated

A few days later, a studio functionary called to say the offices were to be vacated.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
The second district is an open seat, vacated by Republican Shelley Moore Capito to run for Senate.
The State Where the Right Won the Culture War
Michael Tomasky
October 10, 2014
Fayyad, of course, rose to the role of prime minister only when the office was vacated by Hamas.
Kerry Asks Palestinians To Skirt Rule Of Law
Ali Gharib
April 16, 2013
Their convictions for a brutal 1989 rape were vacated, but the five young black and Latino men are still fighting New York City.
‘Central Park Five’ Member Yusef Salaam On the Ken Burns Documentary
Allison Samuels
April 15, 2013
Appointed by disgraced Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, he served less than two years in the Senate seat Obama vacated.
Roland Burris: Ex-Senator Who Briefly Filled Obama Seat Still Nursing Wounds
David Freedlander
February 16, 2013

Historical Examples of vacated

Mrs. Vansittart and Dorothy ascended the bank to the spot just vacated by White.
Roden's Corner
Henry Seton Merriman
Fyles was hooking his reins over the post Charlie had vacated.
The Law-Breakers
Ridgwell Cullum
Louise rose as he approached and motioned him to take her vacated place.
The Avenger
E. Phillips Oppenheim
Arizona had vacated his favorite seat, and was now holding the floor.
The Night Riders
Ridgwell Cullum
“I want to talk to you,” she said, pointing at the rocking-chair she had just vacated.
The Twins of Suffering Creek
Ridgwell Cullum

British Dictionary definitions for vacated

vacate

verb (mainly tr)

to cause (something) to be empty, esp by departing from or abandoning itto 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

Derived Formsvacatable, adjective

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

Word Origin and History for vacated

vacate

1640s, "to make void, to annul," from Latin vacatum, past participle of vacare "to be empty" (see vain). Meaning "to leave, give up, quit" (a place) is attested from 1791. Related: Vacated; vacating.