vacant

vacant — adjective

1. describing a place such as a room, seat, building, or piece of land that has not

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describing a place such as a room, seat, building, or piece of land that has nothing or no one inside it and is therefore ready for someone to use — for example, a vacant hotel room waiting for a guest, or a vacant lot where nothing has been built.

Example

Wei spotted a vacant seat near the window and sat down quickly.

collocation: vacant seat / vacant room

The old factory on River Road has been vacant for more than ten years.

predicative use with 'for' time expression

Common collocations
  • vacant seat
  • vacant room
  • vacant building
  • vacant lot
  • vacant apartment
  • vacant house
  • vacant space
Synonyms
  • empty

    broader term — can describe containers, spaces, or periods of time

  • unoccupied

    more formal; often used for buildings or rooms not currently lived in

  • free

    informal and temporary; used for seats or tables that no one is using right now

  • available

    focuses on readiness for use; used for seats, rooms, or resources

Antonyms
  • occupied

    currently being used or lived in

  • filled

    having something or someone in it

Usage Note

Can appear before a noun (attributive: 'a vacant room') or after a linking verb (predicative: 'the room is vacant'). Opposite of 'occupied'. Not used for containers such as cups or boxes — use 'empty' instead.

Common Mistakes

The glass on the table is vacant.
The glass on the table is empty.
'vacant' is for spaces or places that can be used, not for containers.
I need a vacant taxi.
I need an available taxi.
taxis are described as 'available' or 'free', not 'vacant'.

2. describing an official job or position that nobody is currently doing, so that p

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

describing an official job or position that nobody is currently doing, so that people can apply to take it — for example, a vacant teaching post at a school that is advertised for applicants.

Example

The vacant position of school principal was advertised in the local newspaper.

attributive: vacant + position / job / post

When the manager retired, her post remained vacant for six months.

Common collocations
  • vacant position
  • vacant job
  • vacant post
  • vacant role
  • vacant teaching job
  • vacant director position
Synonyms
  • open

    less formal; used in 'the position is still open'

  • unfilled

    more technical; used in HR and administrative contexts

Antonyms
  • filled

    now occupied by someone

  • taken

    informal; the position is no longer available

Usage Note

Only used for formal positions that are normally filled by one person. Not used for short-term or casual work. Frequently appears in job advertisements and HR contexts.

Common Mistakes

There is a vacant role for a cleaner this weekend.
There is a temporary cleaning job open this weekend.
'vacant' is for permanent or long-term positions, not casual short-term work.
The seat in the meeting is vacant.' (when meaning sense 2)
use sense 1
'vacant' for a seat is physical-space sense.

3. describing a person's look, stare, or expression that shows they are not thinkin

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a person's look, stare, or expression that shows they are not thinking about anything or are not paying attention to what is happening around them — for example, staring at a wall with a vacant expression, as if the mind is completely empty.

Example

Ezra sat through the lecture with a vacant stare, lost in thought.

collocation: vacant stare / vacant look

The teacher noticed the vacant expression on the boy's face and asked if he understood the lesson.

Common collocations
  • vacant stare
  • vacant look
  • vacant expression
  • vacant smile
  • vacant eyes
Synonyms
  • blank

    very similar meaning; 'a blank look' is slightly more common in everyday speech

  • empty

    used metaphorically; 'an empty stare' suggests a complete lack of emotion or thought

  • glazed

    suggests the eyes are unfocused, often from tiredness or boredom

  • distant

    implies the person is thinking about something far away, not that the mind is blank

Antonyms
  • alert

    attentive and mentally present

  • expressive

    showing clear emotion or thought

Usage Note

Usually appears before nouns such as 'look', 'stare', 'expression', 'smile' or with 'eyes'. Less commonly used predicatively ('her expression was vacant'). Often implies the observer finds the lack of reaction unusual or concerning.

Common Mistakes

After the long exam, I felt vacant.
After the long exam, I had a vacant expression.
'vacant' describes the look, not how the person feels.
The empty room had a vacant feeling.' (mixing sense 1 and 3)
The room was completely empty.
sense 3 only applies to people's expressions, not to atmospheres or places.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Empty is the broadest term — a room can be empty of people (temporarily) or empty of furniture. Vacant suggests something is waiting to be used or filled, often for a longer period. Unoccupied is more formal and neutral, used mainly for buildings or rooms in official contexts. Free is informal and temporary ('Is this seat free?'). Available focuses on readiness for use and applies to a wide range of resources. For example: 'The apartment has been vacant for months' (waiting for a tenant), but 'The classroom is empty now, though class starts in ten minutes' (temporarily no people).

empty ↗unoccupied ↗free ↗available ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • completely vacant
  • half vacant
  • still vacant
  • currently vacant

Phrases

  • fall vacant
  • remain vacant
  • leave vacant
  • become vacant

Prepositions

  • vacant for
  • vacant since

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

From Latin 'vacans' meaning 'being empty', the present participle of 'vacare' ('to be empty, be free, have leisure'). The word entered English through Old French 'vacant' in the 14th century, originally describing physical emptiness. The sense of 'a vacant job position' appeared in the 15th century, and the meaning 'showing no mental activity' developed in the 17th century, as an extension of the idea of the mind being empty.