nap¹

[nap]

See more synonyms for nap on Thesaurus.com

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

to sleep for a short time; doze.
to be off one's guard: The question caught him napping.

verb (used with object), napped, nap·ping.

to sleep or doze through (a period of time, an activity, etc.) (usually followed by away): I napped the afternoon away. He naps away most of his classes.

noun

a brief period of sleep, especially one taken during daytime: Has the baby had her nap?

Origin of nap¹

before 900; Middle English nappen (v.), nap (noun), Old English hnappian to sleep; cognate with Middle High German napfen

Synonyms

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1. nod, rest, catnap.

nap²

[nap]

noun

the short fuzzy ends of fibers on the surface of cloth, drawn up in napping.
any downy coating, as on plants.

verb (used with object), napped, nap·ping.

to raise a nap on.

Origin of nap²

1400–50; late Middle English noppe, Old English -hnoppa (as in wullknoppa, mistake for *wullhnoppa tuft of wool), cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German noppe; akin to Old English hnoppian to pluck

Related formsnap·less, adjectivenap·less·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for napping

Contemporary Examples

Shockingly, this last couplet made it into the 1953 film version; someone was napping over at MGM.
When Broadway Musicals Were Dark And Subversive
Laurence Maslon
December 16, 2014
Anyone who works hours other than the traditional 9-to-5 can reap benefits from napping, too.
13 Tips for the Best Nap Ever
DailyBurn
August 12, 2014
They happened at night and in the day, waking or napping, traveling, or working.
Knocking on Heaven's Door: True Stories of Unexplained, Uncanny Experiences at the Hour of Death
Patricia Pearson
August 11, 2014
But a vacation does not count as a family vacation if dad is napping.
Why I Hate The Beach
P. J. O’Rourke
July 27, 2014
Donors also apparently have a lot in common with kindergarteners who need to be bribed into napping.
Speed Read: Kenneth Vogel’s ‘Big Money’ Shows How PACs Control Politics
William O’Connor
June 9, 2014

Historical Examples

"My son seems to have caught us napping," said Lady Coryston, rather grimly.
The Coryston Family
Mrs. Humphry Ward
How is it you know there is an ambuscade laid to catch us napping?
The Boy Scouts on Belgian Battlefields
Lieut. Howard Payson
You cannot catch them napping, and you cannot turn their flank.
Ireland as It Is
Robert John Buckley (AKA R.J.B.)
But I was aft, looking after the steering, and she did not catch me napping that time.
A Set of Six
Joseph Conrad
They have made a mistake indeed, if they think that they will catch us napping.
At Aboukir and Acre
George Alfred Henty

British Dictionary definitions for napping

nap¹

verb naps, napping or napped (intr)

to sleep for a short while; doze
to be unaware or inattentive; be off guard (esp in the phrase catch someone napping)

noun

a short light sleep; doze

Word Origin

Old English hnappian; related to Middle High German napfen

nap²

noun

1. the raised fibres of velvet or similar cloth
2. the direction in which these fibres lie when smoothed down
any similar downy coating
Australian informal blankets, bedding

verb naps, napping or napped

(tr) to raise the nap of (cloth, esp velvet) by brushing or similar treatment

Word Origin

C15: probably from Middle Dutch noppe; related to Old English hnoppian to pluck

nap³

noun

Also called: napoleon a card game similar to whist, usually played for stakes
a call in this card game, undertaking to win all five tricks
horse racing a tipster's choice for an almost certain winner
go nap
1. to undertake to win all five tricks at nap
2. to risk everything on one chance
not to go nap on Australian slang to hold in disfavour
nap hand a position in which there is a very good chance of success if a risk is taken

verb naps, napping or napped

(tr) horse racing to name (a horse) as likely to win a race

Word Origin

C19: short for napoleon, the original name of the card game

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 napping

n.

"action of sleeping," Old English hneappunge, verbal noun from nap (v.).

nap

n.1

"downy surface of cloth," mid-15c., from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German noppe "nap, tuft of wool," probably introduced by Flemish cloth-workers. Cognate with Old English hnoppian "to pluck," ahneopan "pluck off," Old Swedish niupa "to pinch," Gothic dis-hniupan "to tear."

nap

v.1

Old English hnappian "to doze, sleep lightly," of unknown origin, apparently related to Old High German hnaffezan, German dialectal nafzen, Norwegian napp. Related: Napped; napping.

nap¹

Origin of nap¹

Synonyms

nap²

Origin of nap²

Related Words

Examples from the Web for napping

Contemporary Examples

Shockingly, this last couplet made it into the 1953 film version; someone was napping over at MGM.

Anyone who works hours other than the traditional 9-to-5 can reap benefits from napping, too.

They happened at night and in the day, waking or napping, traveling, or working.

But a vacation does not count as a family vacation if dad is napping.

Donors also apparently have a lot in common with kindergarteners who need to be bribed into napping.

Historical Examples

"My son seems to have caught us napping," said Lady Coryston, rather grimly.

How is it you know there is an ambuscade laid to catch us napping?

You cannot catch them napping, and you cannot turn their flank.

But I was aft, looking after the steering, and she did not catch me napping that time.

They have made a mistake indeed, if they think that they will catch us napping.

nap¹

Word Origin

nap²

Word Origin

nap³

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for napping

n.

nap

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nap

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nap

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nap

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Idioms and Phrases with napping

napping

nap.css-pdubzd{font-size:17px;vertical-align:super;}1

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}nap1

Synonyms

nap2

Origin of nap2

Related Words

Examples from the Web for napping

Contemporary Examples

Shockingly, this last couplet made it into the 1953 film version; someone was napping over at MGM.

Anyone who works hours other than the traditional 9-to-5 can reap benefits from napping, too.

They happened at night and in the day, waking or napping, traveling, or working.

But a vacation does not count as a family vacation if dad is napping.

Donors also apparently have a lot in common with kindergarteners who need to be bribed into napping.

Historical Examples

"My son seems to have caught us napping," said Lady Coryston, rather grimly.

How is it you know there is an ambuscade laid to catch us napping?

You cannot catch them napping, and you cannot turn their flank.

But I was aft, looking after the steering, and she did not catch me napping that time.

They have made a mistake indeed, if they think that they will catch us napping.

nap1

Word Origin

nap2

Word Origin

nap3

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for napping

n.

nap

n.1

nap

v.1

nap

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nap

v.2

Idioms and Phrases with napping

napping

nap¹

Origin of nap¹

nap²

Origin of nap²

nap¹

nap²

nap³