empty nester

Related to empty nester: empty nest syndrome

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.
See also: empty, nester
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

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.
See also: empty, nester
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

empty nester

a person whose children have grown up and left home. informal
See also: empty, nester
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

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

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.
See also: empty, nester
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • an empty nester
  • empty-nesters
  • empty calories
  • quite so
  • jam tomorrow
  • kafooster
  • empty threat
  • nester
  • empty nest
  • empty nest, empty nester
References in periodicals archive
We now have "helicopter parents" who hover over every move their child makes, "boomerang babies" for children who treat their parents' homes less like an empty nest and more like a revolving door, and "half-full nests," which are empty nesters whose time is filled by parents who need care.
Minneapolis-based Pillsbury launched a nationwide marketing campaign designed to help Empty Nesters adjust to cooking, buying and organizing meals for a smaller household.
The number of empty nesters per village was determined according to proportional probability sampling.
Rhoades advises empty nesters not to rush into any move, especially one that puts them in a very different type of living situation.
Startup families, younger and older bustling families, and empty nesters are specially enthusiastic buyers, pointing to a greater willingness to sample exotic varieties and share them while entertaining.
Whether it's empty nesters returning to the habit after the kids leave or law enforcement choosing to look the other way, something different is in the air."
Empty nesters are already beginning to move into smaller units in manageable urban neighborhoods with amenities and public transportation, he explains.
"I've been surprised by the number of people who are empty nesters and still wanting that bigger house or new house with everything they want."
It may seem like a lot of detail work, but Honda is hoping the reach of the new CR-V extends beyond the young families and empty nesters that buy the current model to include young professionals in need of a comfortable, stylish small SUV.
We empty nesters, age 60, married 38 years--moved from Northern Virginia to Lopez Island, Washington, where I do the same work (editing financial newsletters and research reports) via the Internet.
After all, many baby boomers are now empty nesters looking for upscale townhouses on the edge of a growing campus and just down the street from a growing medical center.
Empty nesters are expected to have a major impact on the restaurant industry, according to NPD Group.
Trends in the food industry used to be driven by family-oriented needs, but as baby boomers become empty nesters, other values are coming into play, such as excitement, convenience, and health.
Of the 17,162,249 empty nesters in Britain, Stena found that a vast majority are rediscovering their independence, as children move out and retirement is taken early.
IN CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS, WHICH JUMP-STARTED the holiday movie season this year, Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen play a couple of empty nesters trying to opt out of the clutter and expense of Christmas by skipping town on a cruise.