empty nester

or emp·ty-nest·er

noun

a parent whose children have reached adulthood and left home.

Nearby words

empty calorie, empty calories, empty cow, empty morph, empty nest, empty nester, empty set, empty suit, empty word, empty-handed, empty-headed

Origin of empty nester

First recorded in 1960–65; empty nest + -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019