vacancy
VAY-kuhn-see
/ˈveɪkənsi/
An unoccupied room or space available for rent.
An unoccupied position, room, or space that is available to be filled.
The story behind the word. From Latin vacans, present participle of vacare (to be empty). It shares roots with 'vacation' and 'vacuum'.
Word relationships
- availability: Availability is a general state of being usable, while vacancy specifically refers to an empty, rentable space or job opening.
- emptiness: Emptiness is a physical state of containing nothing, whereas vacancy implies a readiness to be occupied.
- occupancy: Occupancy is the state of being lived in or used, leaving no space available.
Commonly confused with
- vacation: Vacation is a holiday or period of leisure, while vacancy is an empty, available space.
Word family
- vacant (adjective): empty and available for use
- vacate (verb): to leave a place, making it vacant
Collocations
- no vacancy
- job vacancy
- fill a vacancy
Example sentences
- "We had to drive to the next town because there was no vacancy at the local motel." Looking for a hotel.
Memory hook
A vacancy is a vacant space waiting for you. Vacancy means a vacant room.
When not to use
Do not use to describe a physical void or vacuum in scientific terms; it refers to functional availability.
Fun facts
- The root vacare also gives us 'vacuum' (completely empty space) and 'vacation' (a time when you empty your schedule of work).
Related words
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