vacancy
noun
va·can·cy
ˈvā-kən(t)-sē 
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
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 on the Web
Screening As Strategy, Not Just Security Hiring in today’s climate is about far more than filling vacancies.
—
Kenneth Coats, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
White fills a vacancy left by Benjamin Cheeks, who served about five months as a magistrate judge last year before President Joe Biden appointed him to be a district judge.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2025
Sensors built from vacancy The work involved graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and collaborating faculty members.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2025
Miran is filling a vacancy created by the early retirement of Fed board member Adrianna Kugler, whose term was set to end in January.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vacancy
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Kenneth Coats, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
White fills a vacancy left by Benjamin Cheeks, who served about five months as a magistrate judge last year before President Joe Biden appointed him to be a district judge.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2025
Sensors built from vacancy The work involved graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and collaborating faculty members.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2025
Miran is filling a vacancy created by the early retirement of Fed board member Adrianna Kugler, whose term was set to end in January.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vacancy
Cite this Entry
“Vacancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vacancy. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
vacancy
noun
va·can·cy
ˈvā-kən-sē
plural vacancies
1
: something (as an office or hotel room) that is vacant
2
: empty space
3
: the state of being vacant
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