empty nester
noun
a parent whose children have reached adulthood and left home.
Showing results for empty nester.
Search instead for
empty_netter.
Jump To:
-
empty nester
-
empty-nester
empty-nesternouna married person whose children have grown up and left home
empty nester
American
Or
empty-nester
noun
empty-nester
British
noun
Etymology
Origin of empty nester
First recorded in 1960–65; empty nest + -er 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Based in Cheshire, she shares her experience of being an "empty nester" on social media.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
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
But then, as she approached becoming an empty nester, Dressback began having panic attacks around being gay, she said, feeling that “I’ve pushed this down for a really long time.”
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2024
Duplass’s Dobson, an acclaimed novelist, recent widower and now an empty nester, is struggling to hold himself together.
From New York Times ● May 13, 2022
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
Although being a parent means the world to him, he and his wife are relishing their empty-nester status.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2022
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
“We’re now an empty-nester family with a large home, which is completely unnecessary for our lifestyle.”
From Washington Post ● Nov. 1, 2021
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
