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• empty nester
  empty nester

  noun

  a parent whose children have reached adulthood and left home.
• empty-nester
  empty-nester

  noun

  a married person whose children have grown up and left home

empty nester

American  

Or empty-nester

noun

1. a parent whose children have reached adulthood and left home.

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empty-nester British  

noun

1. informal a married person whose children have grown up and left home

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Etymology

Origin of empty nester

First recorded in 1960–65; empty nest + -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

empty nester empty-nester

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

As the "Friends" alum prepares to be an empty-nester, she spoke to People magazine about motherhood and her relationship with Coco.

From Fox News ● Jan. 27, 2022

Rather than focusing on my deep fear of shedding the mom role, or the terror I had about any number of empty-nester discussions, I was trying to control the only thing left: him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2021

“We’re now an empty-nester family with a large home, which is completely unnecessary for our lifestyle.”

From Washington Post ● Nov. 1, 2021