empty nester
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Related to empty nester: empty nest syndrome
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empty nester
A parent whose children have moved out of the home. When our youngest goes off to college next year, we'll officially be empty nesters.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
an empty nester
An empty nester is a parent whose children have left home. I'm trying to prepare myself for becoming an empty nester when my youngest child goes to university.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
empty nester
a person whose children have grown up and left home. informalFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
empty-nesters
n. parents whose children have grown and moved out. There are a few adjustments that empty-nesters have to make.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
empty nest, empty nester
A home from which the grown children have moved out, leaving some unoccupied bedrooms; also, the parent(s) in such a home. The term has also given rise to “empty nest syndrome,” the feelings of sadness engendered by the situation. An NBC sitcom entitled Empty Nest aired from 1988 to 1995. The expression dates from the second half of the 1900s.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer