A bad habit.
"The manager stepped out for lunch, leaving his vice to run the morning meeting."
Alternative spelling of vise (“mechanical screw apparatus used for clamping”)
One who acts in place of a superior.
In plain English: A vice is a bad habit or immoral behavior that people consider wrong.
"The vice has become such a habit that he cannot stop himself from checking his phone every few minutes."
Alternative spelling of vise (“to hold or squeeze with a vice”)
"The carpenter tightened the wood in his vice to make sure it wouldn't move while he drilled."
In plain English: To vice something means to hold it tightly with your fingers or hands.
"He decided to kick his bad habit by quitting smoking cold turkey."
in place of; subordinate to; designating a person below another in rank
"The vice president stepped into the role of acting head when the president was hospitalized, temporarily holding power as someone directly below the chief executive."
In plain English: Vice describes something that is morally wrong or bad.
"The vice president attended the meeting to represent the president."
Usage: Use this adjective only when describing someone who acts as a substitute or deputy, such as the vice president. Do not use it interchangeably with synonyms like "subordinate," which implies lower status rather than replacement.
instead of, in place of, versus (sense 2)
"I will have a slice of fruit cake for dessert instead of ice cream, so I'll take it as my vice today."
A surname.
"The Vice family has owned that bakery for three generations."
The word "vice" comes from the Latin term vitium, which originally meant a fault or blemish. It entered Middle English via Old French and eventually replaced the native Old English word for bad behavior.