vacant

American  

[vey-kuhnt] / ˈveɪ kənt /

adjective

1. having no contents; empty; void.

   a vacant niche.

2. having no occupant; unoccupied.

   no vacant seats on this train.

3. not in use.

   a vacant room.

4. devoid of thought or reflection.

   a vacant mind.

5. characterized by, showing, or proceeding from lack of thought or intelligence.

   a vacant answer; a vacant expression on a face.

   Synonyms:

   inane, vacuous, blank

6. not occupied by an incumbent, official, or the like, as a benefice or office.

7. free from work, business, activity, etc..

   vacant hours.

8. characterized by or proceeding from absence of occupation.

   a vacant life.

9. devoid or destitute (often followed byof ).

   He was vacant of human sympathy.

10. Law.

    1. having no tenant and devoid of furniture, fixtures, etc. (unoccupied ).

       a vacant house.

    2. idle or unutilized; open to any claimant, as land.

    3. without an incumbent; having no heir or claimant; abandoned.

       a vacant estate.

---

vacant British  

/ ˈveɪkənt /

adjective

1. without any contents; empty

2. 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

---

Related Words

See empty.

Other Word Forms

• nonvacant adjective
• nonvacantly adverb
• unvacant adjective
• unvacantly adverb
• vacantly adverb
• vacantness noun

Etymology

Origin of vacant

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, Old French, from Latin vacant- (stem of vacāns, present participle of vacāre “to be empty”); -ant

Example Sentences

Rather than repopulating the body, he has left most seats vacant.

From The Wall Street Journal

All three were in jeopardy before the fire, and more so after, with thousands of lots vacant and local businesses on life support.

From Los Angeles Times

The board said this would also apply at any time the offices of first minister and deputy first minister become vacant.

From BBC

A surge in immigration arrests is driving demand for more holding facilities, and officials are eyeing vacant logistics hubs across the United States despite concerns from rights groups they are not fit for the purpose.

From Barron's

Chip was staring straight ahead, his eyes vacant.

From Literature

Related Words

• bare
• deserted
• idle
• unemployed
• unfilled
• uninhabited
• unused