Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1200-1300
Language: Old French
Origin: Latin, present participle of vacare 'to be empty, be free'

vacant

 adjective
     
Related topics: Employment
va‧cant
1 a vacant seat, building, room or piece of land is empty and available for someone to use:
Only a few apartments were still vacant.
There was only a vacant lot (=empty unused area of land in a city) where her house used to be.
2BE formal a job or position in an organization that is vacant is available for someone to start doing
fall vacant British English (=become vacant)
He was offered the position of headmaster when it fell vacant.
situations vacant British English (=the part of a newspaper where jobs are advertised)
3

vacant expression/look/stare etc

written an expression that shows that someone does not seem to be thinking about anything:
He gazed at me with vacant eyes.
—vacantly adverb:
Cindy was staring vacantly into space.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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