catnap

[ kat-nap ]

/ ˈkætˌnæp /

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noun

a short, light nap or doze.

verb (used without object), cat·napped, cat·nap·ping.

to doze or sleep lightly.

RELATED WORDS

snooze, doze, sleep, siesta

Nearby words

catlike, catlin, catlin, george, catling, catmint, catnap, catnapper, catnip, cato, cato the elder, cato the younger

Origin of catnap

An Americanism dating back to 1815–25; cat + nap¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for catnap

Dr. Grenfell went to his room to snatch a catnap before the start.
Grenfell: Knight-Errant of the North|Fullerton Waldo
He fought bravely against his seasickness and took the key for a time while Jack stole a catnap.
The Ocean Wireless Boys and the Lost Liner|Wilbur Lawton
Sometimes when I get here a little early I take a catnap myself.
The Six Fingers of Time|Raphael Aloysius Lafferty
There was no yawning and stretching and closing one eye for a catnap about that awakening.
In Pastures Green|Peter McArthur

British Dictionary definitions for catnap

catnap

/ (ˈkætˌnæp) /

noun

a short sleep or doze

verb -naps, -napping or -napped

(intr) to sleep or doze for a short time or intermittently

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for catnap

catnap

also cat-nap, cat's nap, by 1823, from cat (n.) + nap (n.). A nap such as a cat takes. As a verb from 1859.