vacant
empty and not being used
Empty and not used by any person or thing, especially a seat, room, or building.
[a place]/[seat]/[room]/[building] is vacant
- 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.
- 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.
job or position not filled
Not having a person in a job or role now, so someone can take it.
[a job]/[position]/[role]/[seat] is vacant
- 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.
- 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.
showing no expression or focus
Looking like you are not thinking or feeling anything, especially in your face or eyes.
[someone] has a vacant [look/stare/expression]
- 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.
- 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.
land or property unused or undeveloped
Used about land or buildings that are not used and often have no people or active business there.
[land]/[property]/[building] is vacant
- 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.
- 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.
mentally empty or without purpose
Having almost no ideas, interest, or purpose, especially in your mind or in how you live.
[mind]/[life]/[conversation] is vacant
- 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.
- 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.
- Base: vacant
fall vacant
1job or seat becomes unfilled
When a job or seat becomes empty because the person leaves it.
- If a position falls vacant, internal candidates will be considered first.
- Several seats fell vacant after the election.
lie vacant
1remain empty and unused
To stay empty and not used, especially about land, rooms, or positions.
- Much of the land lies vacant on the edge of the city.
- The post has lain vacant for over a year.
sit vacant
1remain unused for some time
To stay empty or not used for some time.
- The house sat vacant for years before anyone bought it.
- That office has sat vacant since the department closed.
stand vacant
1be left unused or unfilled
To be empty or not filled, especially for a building or official position.
- Several apartments have stood vacant since the rent increase.
- The office will stand vacant until a new manager is appointed.
vacant expression
1face showing no feeling or thought
A look on your face that does not show any clear feeling or thought.
- Her vacant expression made it hard to know what she was thinking.
- The actor maintained a vacant expression throughout the scene.
vacant look
1look showing no interest or understanding
A look on someone’s face that shows they do not understand or are not really thinking.
- My joke was met with a vacant look.
- Students gave the teacher a vacant look when he used a difficult word.
vacant lot
1empty piece of city land
A piece of land in a town or city that has no buildings on it and is not being used.
- 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
1job with no current worker
A job or role that no one is doing at the moment and that the company wants to fill.
- We have a vacant position for a software engineer.
- All vacant positions are listed on the company website.
vacant room
1room that is not occupied
A room that is empty and not being used by anyone.
- The hotel had no vacant rooms during the festival.
- If you need a place to stay, we have a vacant room upstairs.
vacant seat
1seat not taken by anyone
A place to sit that is not taken by any person.
- There was only one vacant seat left on the train.
- A vacant seat in parliament will trigger a by-election.
vacant stare
1stare with no expression
A way of looking at something where your eyes show no feeling or thought.
- He gave me a vacant stare when I asked about the homework.
- The patient’s vacant stare worried the doctor.