vacate

verb

va·​cate ˈvā-ˌkāt How to pronounce vacate (audio) vā-ˈkāt How to pronounce vacate (audio)
vacated; vacating
Synonyms of vacate

transitive verb

1
a
: to deprive of an incumbent or occupant
b
: to give up the incumbency or occupancy of
2
: to make legally void : annul

intransitive verb

: to vacate an office, post, or tenancy

Synonyms of vacate

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of vacate in a Sentence

She refused to vacate her post even under increased pressure. The election will fill the congressional seat vacated by the retiring senator. The police told everyone to vacate the premises. Students must vacate their rooms at the end of the semester. The court vacated the conviction.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The team added more than 40 newcomers to the roster, including Georgia Southern transfer JC French IV, who steps into the starting spot vacated by Sorsby. — Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2026 Carter’s preliminary hearing was initially scheduled on June 6, but it was vacated and rescheduled last week. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 26 Aug. 2026 By August 25, the district attorney must decide whether to seek to vacate Myers’ conviction or if the story needs to be heard by a jury again. — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026 Despite the board's earlier reassurances that people could stay in their apartments, in this deal, the co-op owners had to vacate within 12 months. — Noah Shachtman, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vacate

Word History

Etymology

New Latin vacātus, past participle of vacāre "to annul," going back to Latin, "to be empty, have space" (sense probably by confusion with Medieval Latin vacuāre "to annul," going back to Latin, "to empty," derivative of vacuus "empty") — more at vacant, vacuum entry 1

First Known Use

1643, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of vacate was in 1643

Rhymes for vacate

See All Rhymes for vacate

Browse Nearby Words

vacatable
vacate
vacation
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Vacate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vacate. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

vacate

verb
va·​cate ˈvā-ˌkāt How to pronounce vacate (audio) vā-ˈkāt How to pronounce vacate (audio)
vacated; vacating
: to leave vacant

Legal Definition

vacate

verb
va·​cate
vacated; vacating

transitive verb

1
: to make void : annul, set aside
vacate a lower court order
2
a
: to make vacant
b
: to give up the occupancy of

intransitive verb

: to vacate an office, post, or tenancy
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All