vacancy

noun va·can·cy \ ˈvā-kən(t)-sē \

Updated on: 4 Dec 2017

Definition of vacancy

plural vacancies

1 : a vacant office, post, or tenancy

2 a : a vacating of an office, post, or piece of property

b : the time such office or property is vacant

3 : physical or mental inactivity or relaxation : idleness

4 : empty space : void; specifically : an unoccupied site for an atom or ion in a crystal

5 : the state of being vacant : vacuity

6 archaic : an interval of leisure

See vacancy defined for English-language learners

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Examples of vacancy in a Sentence

School administrators are trying to fill vacancies before the beginning of the school year.
There were no vacancies at the hotel.

Recent Examples of vacancy from the Web

The president also announced plans to nominate Rohit Chopra, a former official at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Education Department, for another FTC vacancy.

— brent kendall, WSJ, "Donald Trump Announces Nominees for Two FTC Vacancies," 19 Oct. 2017
On Monday, an ad meant to announce the eight-time Tennessee congresswoman’s 2018 bid for Sen. Bob Corker’s vacancy was censured by the social media platform, according to her campaign’s Twitter feed.

— kyle swenson, Washington Post, "Twitter calls foul on Rep. Marsha Blackburn ad due to ‘baby body parts’ comment," 10 Oct. 2017
Albright said, in reference to the staff vacancies and proposed budget cuts that have characterized Rex Tillerson’s tenure so far as secretary of state.

— uri friedman, The Atlantic, "Madeleine Albright: 'All of a Sudden Diplomacy Is Being Degraded'," 28 Sep. 2017
The resignation of Mr Fischer, who has also served as head of the Bank of Israel and as chief economist of the World Bank, increases the pressure on President Donald Trump to fill a mounting list of vacancies at the Fed.

— The Economist, "Business this week," 7 Sep. 2017
Further Fed vacancies remain, with the nominees for board positions unknown.

— lorcan roche kelly, Bloomberg.com, "Five Things You Need to Know to Start Your Day," 3 Nov. 2017
The council called a special meeting Wednesday to vote on filling that vacancy at the request of Martinez.

— craig lyons, Post-Tribune, "East Chicago councilman joins Sheriff's Department," 1 Nov. 2017
City and police officials have blamed the vacancy crisis primarily on San Diego officers being among the lowest paid in the region and the state, prompting many officers to transfer to other law enforcement agencies with higher pay.

— david garrick, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Staffing crisis prompts raises of 25 to 30 percent for San Diego police," 18 Oct. 2017
As business travelers are canceling events, evacuees are snapping up the vacancies.

— rick rothacker, katherine peralta, deon roberts, ely portillo and cassie cope, charlotteobserver, "Here’s how Charlotte businesses are preparing for Irma’s wrath," 8 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vacancy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.