: a parent whose children have grown and moved away from home
Examples of empty nester in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Geoff was concerned about his children departing for college, leaving him and his wife as empty nesters.
—
Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 23 June 2026
The movie, written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, stars Moore as Mona Friedman, a nearly empty nester who auditions for a musical at her local New Jersey community theater.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 23 June 2026
In a 2025 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the After the Hunt star reflected on becoming an empty nester.
—Emma Banks, InStyle, 22 June 2026
But what does being an 'empty nester' mean in 2025?
—Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for empty nester
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 23 June 2026
The movie, written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, stars Moore as Mona Friedman, a nearly empty nester who auditions for a musical at her local New Jersey community theater.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 23 June 2026
In a 2025 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the After the Hunt star reflected on becoming an empty nester.
—Emma Banks, InStyle, 22 June 2026
But what does being an 'empty nester' mean in 2025?
—Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for empty nester
Cite this Entry
“Empty nester.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empty%20nester. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
