VACATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does vacate mean? 

• VACATE (verb)
  The verb VACATE has 3 senses:

1. leave (a job, post, or position) voluntarily

2. leave behind empty; move out of

3. cancel officially

  Familiarity information: VACATE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• VACATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they vacate    ... he / she / it vacates   
Past simple: vacated   
Past participle: vacated   
-ing form: vacating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Leave (a job, post, or position) voluntarily

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

give up; renounce; resign; vacate

Context example:

The chairman resigned when he was found to have misappropriated funds

Hypernyms (to "vacate" is one way to...):

leave office; quit; resign; step down (give up or retire from a position)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "vacate"):

abdicate; renounce (give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

vacant (without an occupant or incumbent)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Leave behind empty; move out of

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

abandon; empty; vacate

Context example:

You must vacate your office by tonight

Hypernyms (to "vacate" is one way to...):

go away; go forth; leave (go away from a place)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

vacant (without an occupant or incumbent)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Cancel officially

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

annul; countermand; lift; overturn; repeal; rescind; reverse; revoke; vacate

Context example:

vacate a death sentence

Hypernyms (to "vacate" is one way to...):

cancel; strike down (declare null and void; make ineffective)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "vacate"):

go back on; renege; renege on; renegue on (fail to fulfill a promise or obligation)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

vacation (the act of making something legally void)

 Context examples 

My aunt and I were at that time vacating the two cottages at Highgate; I intending to go abroad, and she to return to her house at Dover.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

And as the other party withdrew, he and his band took the vacated seats.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

The patient vacated the medical center or ceased medical care contrary to the recommendation of a trained healthcare provider.

(Left Against Medical Advice, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

Very well—and for the next presentation to a living of that value—supposing the late incumbent to have been old and sickly, and likely to vacate it soon—he might have got I dare say—fourteen hundred pounds.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

His bright glance went merrily round the room, as he took the seat on the sofa opposite to me, which Mrs. Micawber had recently vacated, and stirred the fire into a blaze.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Adele and I had now to vacate the library: it would be in daily requisition as a reception-room for callers.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Daisy, stir the fire, and make it a brisk one! and Mr. Peggotty, unless you can induce your gentle niece to come back (for whom I vacate this seat in the corner), I shall go.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Opening the window, I walked in upon them; liberated Celine from my protection; gave her notice to vacate her hotel; offered her a purse for immediate exigencies; disregarded screams, hysterics, prayers, protestations, convulsions; made an appointment with the vicomte for a meeting at the Bois de Boulogne.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

As soon as I could recover my presence of mind, which quite deserted me in the first overpowering shock of my aunt's intelligence, I proposed to Mr. Dick to come round to the chandler's shop, and take possession of the bed which Mr. Peggotty had lately vacated.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Where, for the first time in many revolving years, the overwhelming pressure of pecuniary liabilities was not proclaimed, from day to day, by importune voices declining to vacate the passage; where there was no knocker on the door for any creditor to appeal to; where personal service of process was not required, and detainees were merely lodged at the gate!

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)