DictionaryvacuumEmpty space
noun

vacuum

A space containing little or no matter.

The pump removes air from the chamber to create a vacuum.

Etymology

The Latin adjective means empty. The noun names a space emptied of matter, completely in the ideal case or approximately in practice.

In context

fire collection0:18
it is the world's biggest vacuum chamber it's used to test spacecraft in the conditions of outer space and it does that by pumping out the 30 tons of air
Galileo's Famous Gravity Experiment | Brian Cox | BBC Two

More examples

  • Sound cannot travel through a perfect vacuum.
  • A vacuum between the bottle's walls slows heat transfer.
  • The mayor's sudden resignation leaves a power vacuum.

Forms

vacuum · vacuums · vacua

Similar words

void
An empty space, without necessarily implying the absence of matter.
gap
An opening or missing part, not necessarily empty of matter.