empty, vacant

empty, vacant
These words mean "containing nothing, '' but they have different applications. Something that is empty is lacking in its usual or customary contents: an empty house contains no furniture; an empty store contains no merchandise. Vacant is applied to something that is temporarily unoccupied: a vacant bed (no one is in it at the moment); a vacant house (it is unoccupied at the time). A vacant apartment would contain all its furnishings but would house no occupants. If a position is not filled, it is said to be vacant, not empty. A look which lacks expression would be called a vacant stare because the implication is that the absence of feeling is only temporary.

Dictionary of problem words and expressions. . 1975.

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  • empty — adj 1 Empty, vacant, blank, void, vacuous mean lacking the contents that could or should be present. Something is empty which has nothing in it; something is vacant which is without an occupant, incumbent, tenant, inmate, or the person or thing… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • empty — emptiable, adj. emptier, n. emptily, adv. emptiness, n. /emp tee/, adj., emptier, emptiest, v., emptied, emptying, n., pl. empties. adj. 1. containing nothing; having none of the usual or appropriate contents: an empty bottle. 2. vacant; unocc …   Universalium

  • empty — I. adjective (emptier; est) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English ǣmettig unoccupied, from ǣmetta leisure, perhaps from ǣ without + metta (probably akin to mōtan to have to) more at must Date: before 12th century 1. a. containing nothing …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • vacant — adjective a) Not occupied; empty. vacant lot b) Showing no intelligence or interest. a vacant stare Syn …   Wiktionary

  • vacant — See empty. See empty, vacant …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • empty — See empty, vacant …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • Vacant — Va cant, a. [F., fr. L. vacans, antis, p. pr. of vacare to be empty, to be free or unoccupied, to have leisure, also vocare; akin to vacuus empty, and probably to E. void. Cf. {Evacuate}, {Void}, a.] [1913 Webster] 1. Deprived of contents; not… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Vacant succession — Vacant Va cant, a. [F., fr. L. vacans, antis, p. pr. of vacare to be empty, to be free or unoccupied, to have leisure, also vocare; akin to vacuus empty, and probably to E. void. Cf. {Evacuate}, {Void}, a.] [1913 Webster] 1. Deprived of contents; …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • empty — [emp′tē] adj. emptier, emptiest [ME emti & (with intrusive p ) empti < OE æmettig, unoccupied, lit., at leisure < æmetta, leisure (< æ , without + base of motan, to have to: see MUST1) + ig, Y2] 1. containing nothing; having nothing in… …   English World dictionary

  • vacant — va‧cant [ˈveɪkənt] adjective 1. PROPERTY property that is vacant is not being used and may be available to rent or buy: • The committee recommended that factories should be sited on vacant land in small towns rather than in villages or the open… …   Financial and business terms

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