empty nester

or empty-nester

noun

a parent whose children have reached adulthood and left home.

QUIZZES

DON’T VACILLATE! VANQUISH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

It’d be a real faux pas to miss this quiz on the words from August 3–9, 2020!
Question 1 of 7
What does “vacillate” mean?
to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.
to cause to be empty or unoccupied.
to assent tacitly; agree; consent.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of empty nester

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

Words nearby empty nester

empty cow, empty-handed, empty-headed, empty morph, empty nest, empty nester, empty-nest syndrome, Empty Quarter, empty set, empty suit, empty word
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for empty nester

empty-nester

noun

informal a married person whose children have grown up and left home
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012