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vacuum

n. · v.
US //ˈvækjum// UK //vˈækjuːm// vac·u·um
  1. 1 empty space (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Science

    a space that is completely empty and contains no air or matter.

    a region of space that contains no matter; in practical terms, a volume from which most air has been removed.

    Example

    Sound cannot travel through a vacuum because there is no air to carry the vibrations.

    Example

    The experiment was conducted within a high-grade vacuum to ensure that atmospheric particles did not interfere with the sensitive laser measurements.
  2. 2 cleaning machine (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal

    a machine that cleans floors by sucking up dust and dirt.

    a household appliance used for removing debris from floors and upholstery via suction.

    Example

    I need to empty the vacuum because it is full of pet hair.

    Example

    The new cordless vacuum features a high-efficiency filter designed to capture even the smallest allergens from the carpet fibers.
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  1. 3 emotional emptiness (n.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    a feeling of emptiness in your life after losing someone or something important.

    a metaphorical state of emptiness or isolation resulting from a significant loss or absence.

    Example

    The retirement of the CEO left a vacuum in the company's leadership.

    Example

    After her partner passed away, she struggled to fill the emotional vacuum that had suddenly opened in her daily life.
  2. 4 to clean with a machine (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to clean a floor or carpet using a vacuum cleaner.

    to use a vacuum cleaner to remove dirt from a surface; functions both transitively and intransitively.

    Example

    Could you vacuum the living room before the guests arrive?

    Example

    He spent the entire Saturday morning vacuuming the upstairs bedrooms and polishing the wooden floors in the hallway.
  3. 5 database maintenance (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Computing

    to clean up a computer database by removing old or deleted information.

    to optimize a database by physically removing deleted records and reclaiming storage space.

    Example

    The system administrator scheduled the database to vacuum every night at midnight.

    Example

    Regularly vacuuming the tables is essential for maintaining query performance in high-traffic PostgreSQL environments.
Origin

Borrowed from New Latin vacuum (“vacuum”), a subsense of Classical Latin vacuum (“empty space”), a substantivised form of vacuus (“empty”); related to vacāre (“to be empty”). The exercise sense comes from analogy to the sucking action of a vacuum cleaner.

Idioms1 entry

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