vacant
gb/vˈeɪkənt/ us/vˈeɪkənt/
B1
English
~ 5200
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B1
property
1
empty and not being used
Empty and not used by any person or thing, especially a seat, room, or building.
Usage pattern:
[a place]/[seat]/[room]/[building] is vacant
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use *free* instead of *vacant* for rooms or seats in formal situations (e.g., saying "a free room" in a hotel sign). *Free* is common in speech, but written signs and formal notices often use *vacant* or *available*. Also, learners may overuse *vacant* where *empty* is more natural (e.g., "a vacant bottle" is unusual; *an empty bottle* is correct).
Synonyms
empty (The most general word; does not always suggest that something is available to use.)
|
unoccupied (More formal; often used in notices or official descriptions.)
|
available (Focuses on the fact that something can be used, not just that it is empty.)
Antonyms
occupied (States that a place has someone or something in it.)
|
full (Emphasizes that there is no space left.)
|
taken (Informal; often used for seats or rooms that someone is already using.)
Collocations
vacant seat
|vacant room
|vacant house
|remain vacant
|stand vacant
|left vacant
Themes
housing
|travel
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- There was only one vacant seat left on the bus.
- We found a vacant room at a small hotel near the station.
- The apartment has been vacant for more than a year.
- Several houses on this street are still vacant after the flood.
- Please move along; these tables are reserved, and that one isn’t vacant yet.
Learner examples
- Is this seat vacant, or is someone sitting here?
- We looked for a vacant room in the city center.
- The shop is vacant, and the windows are dark.
- Many offices stayed vacant during the winter.
- They bought a vacant house and fixed it.
adjective
B2
property
2
job or position not filled
Not having a person in a job or role now, so someone can take it.
Usage pattern:
[a job]/[position]/[role]/[seat] is vacant
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *empty job* instead of *vacant job* or *vacant position*. For work and roles, *vacant* or *open* are the natural choices.
Synonyms
open (Common in business English; sounds slightly more informal than *vacant*.)
|
unfilled (Often used in reports or statistics; more technical or formal.)
|
available (General word that stresses that someone can take the job or role.)
Antonyms
filled (States that someone has been chosen for or already holds the job or position.)
|
occupied (More formal; emphasizes that a role or seat already has someone in it.)
Collocations
vacant position
|vacant post
|vacant role
|vacant job
|vacant seat
Themes
work
|business
|politics
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She applied for a vacant position in the marketing department.
- The seat will remain vacant until the special election in June.
- We currently have three vacant posts in our IT team.
- The role of managing director has been vacant since last year.
- Once the position became vacant, dozens of people sent in their résumés.
Learner examples
- He is looking for a vacant position at a bank.
- The company has many vacant jobs this year.
- That political seat is vacant after the mayor left.
- They want to fill all vacant posts by March.
- When the job is vacant, you can apply.
adjective
B2
property
3
showing no expression or focus
Looking like you are not thinking or feeling anything, especially in your face or eyes.
Usage pattern:
[someone] has a vacant [look/stare/expression]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse *vacant* with *available* in this context and say things like "an available look" or "an empty look". For talking about a face with no feeling or thought, *vacant* or *blank* is natural.
Synonyms
blank (Very close in meaning; common for faces that show no clear emotion or thought.)
|
expressionless (Neutral term; focuses on the absence of expression, not necessarily of thought.)
|
dazed (Suggests confusion or shock, not just lack of interest.)
Antonyms
alert (Suggests that someone is clearly awake, aware, and paying attention.)
|
animated (Describes a lively face full of movement and expression.)
Collocations
vacant stare
|vacant look
|vacant expression
|look vacant
|stare vacantly
Themes
emotions
|appearance
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He gave her a vacant stare, as if he hadn’t heard the question.
- She sat with a vacant look on her face, lost in her own thoughts.
- The child’s vacant expression worried the teacher.
- When I mentioned his name, her smile quickly turned vacant.
- The actor held a vacant gaze, perfectly capturing the character’s boredom.
Learner examples
- The boy answered with a vacant look.
- She stared at the wall with a vacant face.
- His eyes looked vacant during the long meeting.
- I saw a vacant expression in her eyes.
- He did not react; his face was vacant.
adjective
B2
property
4
land or property unused or undeveloped
Used about land or buildings that are not used and often have no people or active business there.
Usage pattern:
[land]/[property]/[building] is vacant
Common mistake:
Learners may say *empty land* when *vacant land* or *vacant lot* is more natural in real estate or city planning contexts. *Empty land* is understandable but sounds less standard as a fixed term.
Synonyms
unused (General word; does not specifically refer to land, but often used for it.)
|
undeveloped (Common in real estate and planning; stresses that the land has not been built on.)
Antonyms
developed (Used for land that has been built on or prepared for use.)
|
occupied (Says that people or businesses are using the property.)
Collocations
vacant lot
|vacant land
|vacant property
|sit vacant
|stand vacant
Themes
housing
|city_planning
|business
|travel
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The city plans to turn the vacant lot into a public park.
- Investors are buying vacant land on the edge of the town.
- Several vacant properties in the area have become a safety concern.
- That corner building has been vacant since the factory closed.
- Developers are interested in purchasing the vacant site near the river.
Learner examples
- Children play soccer on the vacant lot.
- They want to build a school on the vacant land.
- The shop is vacant, and no one rents it.
- Many vacant buildings are in this part of the city.
- A new hotel may open on the vacant site.
adjective
literary
C1
property
5
mentally empty or without purpose
Having almost no ideas, interest, or purpose, especially in your mind or in how you live.
Usage pattern:
[mind]/[life]/[conversation] is vacant
Synonyms
shallow (Suggests a lack of depth or serious thought rather than total emptiness.)
|
empty-headed (Informal and critical; used mainly about people, not lives or conversations.)
Antonyms
thoughtful (Suggests a mind full of careful ideas and feelings.)
|
meaningful (Indicates that a life or activity has clear value or purpose.)
Collocations
vacant mind
|vacant life
|vacant conversation
|spiritually vacant
Themes
emotions
|personality
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He drifted through his twenties with a vacant life, doing nothing in particular.
- The book portrays a spiritually vacant society obsessed with money.
- Their conversation felt strangely vacant, full of words but no real ideas.
- She feared becoming vacant and bitter if she stayed in the job.
- The character’s vacant inner world contrasts with her bright social image.
Learner examples
- He worries that his life is vacant and has no meaning.
- The story shows a man with a vacant mind.
- Their talk is vacant; they do not say anything important.
- She does not want a vacant life without goals.
- The writer calls the city spiritually vacant.
Grammar
Dictionary form
vacant
IPA
GB/vˈeɪkənt/
US/vˈeɪkənt/
Syllables & stress
va - cant (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (va)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: vacant
Word family
Core family
vacancy
noun B1
vacate
verb
Negative and opposite forms
occupied
adjective
Advanced or less common
vacantly
adverb
Expressions
fall vacant
1/fˈɔl vˈeɪkənt/
fixed phrase
job or seat becomes unfilled
When a job or seat becomes empty because the person leaves it.
Examples
- If a position falls vacant, internal candidates will be considered first.
- Several seats fell vacant after the election.
lie vacant
1/lˈaɪ vˈeɪkənt/
fixed phrase
remain empty and unused
To stay empty and not used, especially about land, rooms, or positions.
Examples
- Much of the land lies vacant on the edge of the city.
- The post has lain vacant for over a year.
sit vacant
1/sˈɪt vˈeɪkənt/
fixed phrase
remain unused for some time
To stay empty or not used for some time.
Examples
- The house sat vacant for years before anyone bought it.
- That office has sat vacant since the department closed.
stand vacant
1/stˈænd vˈeɪkənt/
fixed phrase
be left unused or unfilled
To be empty or not filled, especially for a building or official position.
Examples
- Several apartments have stood vacant since the rent increase.
- The office will stand vacant until a new manager is appointed.
vacant expression
1/vˈeɪkənt ɪkspɹˈɛʃən/
fixed phrase
face showing no feeling or thought
A look on your face that does not show any clear feeling or thought.
Examples
- Her vacant expression made it hard to know what she was thinking.
- The actor maintained a vacant expression throughout the scene.
vacant look
1/vˈeɪkənt lˈʊk/
fixed phrase
look showing no interest or understanding
A look on someone’s face that shows they do not understand or are not really thinking.
Examples
- My joke was met with a vacant look.
- Students gave the teacher a vacant look when he used a difficult word.
vacant lot
1/vˈeɪkənt lˈɑt/
fixed phrase
empty piece of city land
A piece of land in a town or city that has no buildings on it and is not being used.
Examples
- Children were playing soccer on the vacant lot behind the supermarket.
- The council wants to turn the vacant lot into a community garden.
vacant position
1/vˈeɪkənt pəzˈɪʃən/
fixed phrase
job with no current worker
A job or role that no one is doing at the moment and that the company wants to fill.
Examples
- We have a vacant position for a software engineer.
- All vacant positions are listed on the company website.
vacant room
1/vˈeɪkənt ɹˈum/
fixed phrase
room that is not occupied
A room that is empty and not being used by anyone.
Examples
- The hotel had no vacant rooms during the festival.
- If you need a place to stay, we have a vacant room upstairs.
vacant seat
1/vˈeɪkənt sˈit/
fixed phrase
seat not taken by anyone
A place to sit that is not taken by any person.
Examples
- There was only one vacant seat left on the train.
- A vacant seat in parliament will trigger a by-election.
vacant stare
1/vˈeɪkənt stˈɛɹ/
fixed phrase
stare with no expression
A way of looking at something where your eyes show no feeling or thought.
Examples
- He gave me a vacant stare when I asked about the homework.
- The patient’s vacant stare worried the doctor.