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empty nest. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
empty nest, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
empty nest in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
empty nest you have here. The definition of the word
empty nest will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
empty nest, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From birds whose offspring leave the nest when they reach maturity.
Noun
empty nest (plural empty nests)
- A home or a family where the children have grown up and moved away.
2011, Celia Dodd, The Empty Nest: Your Changing Family, Your New Direction, Hachette UK, →ISBN:One woman with a full-on and demanding career e-mailed me to say ‘This empty nest thing is no joke. I didn't realise it would hit me so hard. It is day three of my daughter being gone and I have to resist the urge to weep every time I go past her room.’
2014, Lisa O. Engelhardt, Empty Nest Therapy, Open Road Media, →ISBN:Yet an “empty nest” can cause confusing emotions for parents. While this juncture can bring on sadness and loneliness, it can also signal newfound freedom and fulfillment.
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see empty, nest.
Derived terms
Translations
home or family where the children have moved away
See also