What does vacancy mean?
A vacancy is an opportunity created by something being unoccupied or unfilled. In the workplace, it usually means a position that an employer is trying to fill, and in a hotel or similar establishment it means an available room. The word can also refer more generally to an empty place or to the condition of a property or space that is not being used. Vacancy has a practical, administrative tone and often appears in notices, reports, and employment discussions. It can carry a positive implication because an unfilled position or empty room represents an opportunity for someone who needs one. At the same time, in discussions of housing or business, a high number of vacancies may suggest underuse or economic weakness. The word is consequently useful whenever absence, availability, and possibility need to be described together.
nounA vacancy is an available position or job opening. It can also mean an unoccupied room or place, or the condition of being unoccupied or unfilled.
- An unfilled position in employment.
- An available room in a hotel or other accommodation.
- An unoccupied place or space.
- The state of being unoccupied or unfilled, especially in the property market.
"The hotel had no vacancies until the weekend."
"The hotel had no vacancies until the weekend."
"She saw the vacancy in the team and volunteered to cover it."
The regular plural is vacancies, pronounced /ˈveɪkənsiz/.
"Two vacancies opened in the sales department."
From a hotel room to a job opening, a vacancy turns absence into possibility.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
How vacancy is actually used
The word is standard in British and American English. In employment contexts it usually refers to an open position, while in hospitality it commonly refers to an available room. In property and economic contexts, it can describe unused space or a level of unoccupied housing.
Easily confused with vacancy
Vacancy is a noun naming an available position, room, or space, while vacant is an adjective describing something that is empty or unoccupied.
Vacancy is a noun referring to an available place or position, while vacate is a verb meaning to leave or make a place available.