vacant
vacant — adjective
1. describing a place such as a room, seat, building, or piece of land that has not
describing a place such as a room, seat, building, or piece of land that has nothing or no one inside it and is therefore ready for someone to use — for example, a vacant hotel room waiting for a guest, or a vacant lot where nothing has been built.
Wei spotted a vacant seat near the window and sat down quickly.
collocation: vacant seat / vacant room
The old factory on River Road has been vacant for more than ten years.
predicative use with 'for' time expression
A vacant apartment on Elm Street was rented to a young couple last week.
The parking lot was half vacant on Sunday morning, so Kabir found a space easily.
Builders plan to turn the vacant lot into a small community garden.
- empty
broader term — can describe containers, spaces, or periods of time
- unoccupied
more formal; often used for buildings or rooms not currently lived in
- free
informal and temporary; used for seats or tables that no one is using right now
- available
focuses on readiness for use; used for seats, rooms, or resources
用法筆記
Can appear before a noun (attributive: 'a vacant room') or after a linking verb (predicative: 'the room is vacant'). Opposite of 'occupied'. Not used for containers such as cups or boxes — use 'empty' instead.
常見錯誤
2. describing an official job or position that nobody is currently doing, so that p
describing an official job or position that nobody is currently doing, so that people can apply to take it — for example, a vacant teaching post at a school that is advertised for applicants.
The vacant position of school principal was advertised in the local newspaper.
attributive: vacant + position / job / post
When the manager retired, her post remained vacant for six months.
Lucía applied for a vacant sales role at an electronics company.
There are three vacant teaching jobs at the international school this year.
The company posted a notice about the vacant director position online.
用法筆記
Only used for formal positions that are normally filled by one person. Not used for short-term or casual work. Frequently appears in job advertisements and HR contexts.
常見錯誤
3. describing a person's look, stare, or expression that shows they are not thinkin
describing a person's look, stare, or expression that shows they are not thinking about anything or are not paying attention to what is happening around them — for example, staring at a wall with a vacant expression, as if the mind is completely empty.
Ezra sat through the lecture with a vacant stare, lost in thought.
collocation: vacant stare / vacant look
The teacher noticed the vacant expression on the boy's face and asked if he understood the lesson.
Sari gave a vacant smile and walked past her friends without saying a word.
The old man's eyes had a vacant look that worried the nurses at the home.
Tunde stared out of the window with a vacant expression during the whole meeting.
- blank
very similar meaning; 'a blank look' is slightly more common in everyday speech
- empty
used metaphorically; 'an empty stare' suggests a complete lack of emotion or thought
- glazed
suggests the eyes are unfocused, often from tiredness or boredom
- distant
implies the person is thinking about something far away, not that the mind is blank
- alert
attentive and mentally present
- expressive
showing clear emotion or thought
用法筆記
Usually appears before nouns such as 'look', 'stare', 'expression', 'smile' or with 'eyes'. Less commonly used predicatively ('her expression was vacant'). Often implies the observer finds the lack of reaction unusual or concerning.