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catnip

American

[kat-nip] / ˈkæt nɪp /

noun

a plant, Nepeta cataria, of the mint family, having egg-shaped leaves containing aromatic oils that are a cat attractant.

catnip British

/ ˈkætˌnɪp /

noun

another name for catmint

"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

Etymology

Origin of catnip

An Americanism first recorded in 1705–15; cat ( def. ) + nip, variant of Middle English nep “catnip,” variant of Old English nepte, from Medieval Latin nepta, variant of Latin nepeta

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The booming industry of AI is like catnip to economics researchers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 22, 2025

Jones’s comments are catnip for bullish investors convinced that they have the ability to recognize when the bubble will burst, and therefore they can keep enjoying the rally.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 10, 2025

If such tales are catnip down under, any doubts over Stokes' fitness will put a further spring in the baggy green step.

From BBC • Jul. 30, 2025

“When the Going Was Good” is catnip for those of us still addicted to magazines, who still harbor the delusion that we’ll get to that pile on the table as soon as we can.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2025

They’re green—despite my best cleaning efforts—and they’re like catnip for him.

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023