vacant Hear it!

vacant definition

va·cant (vā′kənt)

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
    1. having or showing emptiness of mind or lack of intelligence, interest, thought, etc.
    2. empty of thought: said of the mind
  7. Law
    1. unoccupied or unused, as land
    2. having no claimant, as an estate or succession
    3. not yet granted, as public lands

Etymology: OFr < L vacans, prp. of vacare, to be empty

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

business vacant definition - business

vacant Synonyms

vacant

modif.

  1. Without contents

    devoid, void, unfilled; see empty 1.

  2. Without an occupant

    unoccupied, untenanted, tenantless, uninhabited, idle, free, deserted, abandoned, without a resident, not lived in.

    Antonyms inhabited*, occupied*, tenanted.

  3. Without evidence of intelligence

    unintelligent, vacuous, empty-headed, foolish, giddy, inane, stupid, silly, witless, thoughtless.

    Antonyms intelligent*, witty*, understanding. See syn. study at empty.empty.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

vacant Usage Examples

Preposition: for

  • month: The post had been vacant for many months, despite Bexley Council's efforts to recruit a suitable person.

Modifying Another Word

  • temporarily: The topic is the positive use of temporarily vacant land.

Preposition: by

  • death: Rachael fills the honorary role left vacant by the death of Jack Harris last January.

Modifies a noun

  • possession: Land with vacant possession is likely to be more valuable.

Used with adjective complement

  • fall: The external advisor's post, which is funded by the Computer Board, fell vacant in November 1986.
vacant usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

vacant quotes

O dark dark dark. Theyall go into the dark, The vacant interstellar spaces, the vacant into the vacant.

-Eliot,T(homas) S(tearns)

vacant quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"vacant." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/vacant>

APA Style

vacant. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/vacant

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