First recorded in 1960–65; empty nest + -er 1
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Having a third child, which she still thinks about, would mean she wouldn’t be an empty nester until her mid-60s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
For Veronica P., an empty nester who moved to Olive Dell in March 2024, the ranch offered her acceptance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2025
Some residents of middle housing in Kirkland are like empty nester Bruce Klouzal, who downsized into a cottage cluster in the Juanita neighborhood with his wife in 2017, after their kids grew up.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 26, 2023
Zöe, I can't let you leave without asking you one last question I'm going to be an empty nester soon.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2022
“I know I have to be an empty nester again. I know he has to be on his own. But my heart hurts.”
From New York Times ● May 14, 2021
Bryant is a recent empty-nester, so she’s looking for someone who’s experienced as much life as she has and knows how to have fun at the same time.
From Salon ● May 5, 2025
And, like that, I became an afternoon empty-nester.
From Seattle Times ● May 6, 2022
“We’re now an empty-nester family with a large home, which is completely unnecessary for our lifestyle.”
From Washington Post ● Nov. 1, 2021
Going home, where he can visit his empty-nester parents, was a major plus.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2021
Heaton also published a book last year called, "Our Second Act: Inspiring Stories of Reinvention," in which she wrote about taking more time for herself and her passions as an empty-nester.
From Fox News ● Jul. 11, 2021
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
