If something is vacant, it is not being used by anyone.
Half way down the coach was a vacant seat.
In every major city there are more vacant buildings than there are homeless people.
2. adjective
If a job or position is vacant, no one is doing it or in it at present, and people can apply for it.
A number of senior people were regarded as likely to occupy the now vacant post.
The post of chairperson has been vacant for some time.
Synonyms: unfilled, unoccupied More Synonyms of vacant
3. adjective
A vacant look or expression is one that suggests that someone does not understand something or that they are not thinking about anything in particular.
She had a kind of vacant look on her face.
Synonyms: blank, vague, dreamy, dreaming More Synonyms of vacant
vacantlyadverb [ADVERB after verb]
He looked vacantly out of the window.
More Synonyms of vacant
vacant in British English
(ˈveɪkənt)
adjective
1.
without any contents; empty
2. (postpositive; foll byof)
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
Derived forms
vacantly (ˈvacantly)
adverb
vacantness (ˈvacantness)
noun
Word origin
C13: from Latin vacāre to be empty
vacant in American English
(ˈveɪkənt)
adjective
1.
having nothing in it, as a space; devoid of contents; empty; void
2.
not held, filled, or occupied, as a position or office
3.
having no occupant
a vacant seat
4.
untenanted, as a room or house
5.
not filled with activity or work; free; leisure
vacant time
6.
a.
having or showing emptiness of mind or lack of intelligence, interest, thought, etc.
b.
empty of thought
said of the mind
7. Law
a.
unoccupied or unused, as land
b.
having no claimant, as an estate or succession
c.
not yet granted, as public lands
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈempty
Derived forms
vacantly (ˈvacantly)
adverb
vacantness (ˈvacantness)
noun
Word origin
OFr < L vacans, prp. of vacare, to be empty
Examples of 'vacant' in a sentence
vacant
Up to an eighth of posts and a sixth of training posts are vacant.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
His pain is in his vacant stare and frazzled nerves.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
We are in a house with peeling walls and all the cosy charm of a vacant lot.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This week it advertised for nine vacant positions offered up with zero hours.
The Sun (2015)
Parents should also know how many teaching posts were vacant when they applied to a school.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Which probably explains why they looked pretty vacant.
The Sun (2006)
Old properties torn down and vacant lots just breed crime.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
This position has remained vacant for some time and urgently needs filling.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
He says the funding will come from savings on staffing budgets and by not filling vacant posts.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Some committee and council positions have remained vacant.
Christianity Today (2000)
Vast areas of land behind the casinos and hotels are vacant lots where once family and holiday houses abounded.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
One lodge owner tells me 80% of his rooms are vacant.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Otherwise, courtesy and consideration should have led him to a vacant seat near by.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It is hanging on a hook in his vacant dressing room, which she enters uninvited.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
He was spared the sight of other vacant seats by former MPs who filled in the gaps.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
TV footage beamed around the globe showing rows of vacant seats was a major embarrassment.
The Sun (2012)
I was passing the time with an egg sandwich and a vacant stare at the aisles of magazines.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He arrives in India today for an interview for the country's vacant national coaching job.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
By building their network, they're in place to be recruited when a position becomes vacant.
The Sun (2015)
Services cannot be stocked or held over: hotel rooms left vacant one night do not add to the following night's capacity.
Tom Cannon Basic Marketing. Principles and Practice (1986)
In other languages
vacant
British English: vacant /ˈveɪkənt/ ADJECTIVE
If something is vacant, it is not being used by anyone.
She sat down on a vacant seat.
American English: vacant
Arabic: شاغِر
Brazilian Portuguese: vago
Chinese: 有空缺的
Croatian: prazan
Czech: volný neobsazený
Danish: ledig
Dutch: leeg
European Spanish: desocupado
Finnish: vapaa tyhjä
French: vacant
German: unbesetzt
Greek: αδειανός
Italian: vacante
Japanese: 空いている
Korean: 비어 있는
Norwegian: ledig
Polish: wolny
European Portuguese: vago
Romanian: liber
Russian: неиспользуемый
Latin American Spanish: desocupado
Swedish: tom
Thai: ที่ยังไม่มีคนใช้
Turkish: boş daire, ev, sandalye
Ukrainian: вільний
Vietnamese: trống không
All related terms of 'vacant'
vacant lot
a plot of land for a particular use
vacant post
A post in a company or organization is a job or official position in it, usually one that involves responsibility .
vacant seat
A seat is an object that you can sit on, for example a chair .
situations vacant
Situations Vacant is the title of a column or page in a newspaper where jobs are advertised .
vacant possession
ownership of an unoccupied house or property, any previous owner or tenant having departed
Chinese translation of 'vacant'
vacant
(ˈveɪkənt)
adj
[seat, bathroom]空着(著)的 (kòngzhe de)
[look, expression]茫然的 (mángrán de)
[job]空缺的 (kòngquē de)
1 (adjective)
Definition
(of a toilet, room, etc.) unoccupied or not being used
They came upon a vacant house.
Synonyms
empty
The room was bare and empty.
free
There's only one seat free on the train.
available
There are three small boats available for hire.
abandoned
abandoned buildings that become a breeding ground for crime
deserted
a deserted town
to let
for sale
on the market
void
up for grabs
The famous hotel is up for grabs to the highest bidder.
disengaged
uninhabited
an uninhabited island in the North Pacific
unoccupied
not in use
unfilled
untenanted
Opposites
taken
,
full
,
occupied
,
busy
,
engaged
,
inhabited
,
in use
2 (adjective)
Definition
(of a job or position) unfilled at the present time
The post has been vacant for some time.
Synonyms
unfilled
unoccupied
The house was unoccupied at the time of the explosion.
Opposites
taken
,
occupied
,
engaged
3 (adjective)
Definition
having or suggesting a lack of interest or understanding
a dreamy, vacant look
Synonyms
blank
He gave him a blank look.
vague
He was an intelligent but rather vague Englishman.
dreamy
dreaming
empty
She saw the empty look in his eyes as he left.
abstracted
The same abstracted look was still on her face.
idle
thoughtless
a minority of thoughtless and inconsiderate people
vacuous
the usual vacuous comments from the chat-show host
inane
expressionless
He did his best to keep his face expressionless.
unthinking
absent-minded
The laptop was exactly where its absent-minded owner had left it.
incurious
ditzy or ditsy (slang)
Opposites
lively
,
animated
,
thoughtful
,
expressive
,
reflective
,
engrossed
4 (adjective)
Synonyms
unemployed
Have you been unemployed for over six months?
idle
Employees have been idle for almost a month now.
unengaged
Additional synonyms
in the sense of abandoned
Definition
no longer used or occupied
abandoned buildings that become a breeding ground for crime
Synonyms
unoccupied,
empty,
deserted,
vacant,
derelict,
uninhabited
in the sense of absent-minded
Definition
inattentive or forgetful
The laptop was exactly where its absent-minded owner had left it.
Synonyms
forgetful,
absorbed,
abstracted,
vague,
absent,
distracted,
unaware,
musing,
preoccupied,
careless,
bemused,
oblivious,
dreamy,
faraway,
engrossed,
unthinking,
neglectful,
heedless,
inattentive,
unmindful,
unheeding,
apt to forget,
in a brown study,
ditzy or ditsy (slang)
in the sense of abstracted
Definition
lost in thought
The same abstracted look was still on her face.
Synonyms
preoccupied,
withdrawn,
remote,
absorbed,
intent,
absent,
distracted,
unaware,
wrapped up,
bemused,
immersed,
oblivious,
dreamy,
daydreaming,
faraway,
engrossed,
rapt,
absent-minded,
heedless,
inattentive,
distrait,
woolgathering
Synonyms of 'vacant'
vacant
Explore 'vacant' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of available
Definition
obtainable or accessible
There are three small boats available for hire.
Synonyms
accessible,
ready,
to hand,
convenient,
handy,
vacant,
on hand,
at hand,
free,
applicable,
to be had,
achievable,
obtainable,
on tap (informal),
attainable,
at your fingertips,
at your disposal,
ready for use
in the sense of deserted
a deserted town
Synonyms
empty,
abandoned,
desolate,
neglected,
lonely,
vacant,
derelict,
bereft,
unoccupied,
godforsaken
in the sense of disengaged
Synonyms
free,
vacant,
at ease,
unoccupied,
uncommitted,
at leisure,
not busy
in the sense of expressionless
He did his best to keep his face expressionless.
Synonyms
blank,
empty,
deadpan,
straight-faced,
wooden,
dull,
vacuous,
inscrutable,
poker-faced (informal)
in the sense of free
Definition
not occupied or in use
There's only one seat free on the train.
Synonyms
available,
extra,
empty,
spare,
vacant,
unused,
uninhabited,
unoccupied,
untaken
in the sense of idle
Definition
not doing anything
Employees have been idle for almost a month now.
Synonyms
unoccupied,
unemployed,
redundant,
jobless,
out of work,
out of action,
inactive,
at leisure,
between jobs,
unwaged,
at a loose end
in the sense of thoughtless
Definition
not considerate of the feelings of other people
a minority of thoughtless and inconsiderate people
Synonyms
inconsiderate,
rude,
selfish,
insensitive,
unkind,
uncaring,
indiscreet,
tactless,
impolite,
undiplomatic
in the sense of uninhabited
Definition
having no people living in or on it
an uninhabited island in the North Pacific
Synonyms
deserted,
waste,
barren,
desolate,
abandoned,
empty,
desert,
lonely,
unsettled,
vacant,
unoccupied,
unpopulated,
untenanted
in the sense of unoccupied
Definition
(of a building) without occupants
The house was unoccupied at the time of the explosion.
Synonyms
empty,
vacant,
uninhabited,
untenanted,
tenantless
in the sense of up for grabs
The famous hotel is up for grabs to the highest bidder.
Synonyms
available,
for sale,
on the market,
to be had,
up for sale,
obtainable
Additional synonyms
in the sense of vacuous
Definition
showing no sign of intelligence or understanding
the usual vacuous comments from the chat-show host
Synonyms
vapid,
stupid,
inane,
blank,
vacant,
unintelligent
in the sense of vague
Definition
(of a person) not concentrating or thinking clearly
He was an intelligent but rather vague Englishman.