What does "nap" mean?
A short period of sleep, especially one during the day.
Nap
/næp/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A short period of sleep, especially one during the day.
- Grammar: nap is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: pile, snooze, blanket drill, break.
- Useful contrasts: alertness, awake, awakening.
- Usage evidence: I may give up soon and just nap instead.
How to use "nap"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "nap" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "nap" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "nap" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "nap" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "nap" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "pile" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "nap", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A short period of sleep, especially one during the day.
- 2 A soft or fuzzy surface, generally on fabric or leather. countable, uncountable
"I tell thee, Jack Cade the clothier means to dress the commonwealth, and turn it, and set a new nap upon it."
- 3 A type of bet in British horse racing, based on the experts' best tips. British, countable, uncountable
"4. Races run on English, Welsh or Scottish racecourses. This criterion was included so that media tipsters ^([sic]) nap selections in general could be analysed; the source of naps, The Racing Rag 'tipster table', summarises the nap selections of newspaper tipsters, who restrict their selection to horses running at racecourses in these countries."
- 4 A cup, bowl. Northern-England, Scotland
- 5 Acronym of non-aggression principle. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 a card game similar to whist; usually played for stakes wordnet
- 7 The common direction, on some kinds of fabric, of the hairs making up the pile. countable, uncountable
"If the fabric has a nap, make sure all pieces are cut with the nap going the same direction."
- 8 A card game in which players take tricks; properly Napoleon. uncountable
- 9 Acronym of non-aggression pact. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 10 sleeping for a short period of time (usually not in bed) wordnet
- 11 A bid to take five tricks in the card game Napoleon. countable, uncountable
- 12 the yarn (as in a rug or velvet or corduroy) that stands up from the weave wordnet
- 13 a soft or fuzzy surface texture wordnet
- 14 a period of time spent sleeping wordnet
Verb
- 1 To have a nap; to sleep for a short period of time, especially during the day.
- 2 To form or raise a soft or fuzzy surface on (fabric or leather).
- 3 To grab; to nab. obsolete
- 4 To cover (something) with a sauce. (usually in the passive)
"Vanilla ice cream topped with a poached or canned pear half, napped with chocolate sauce, and garnished with toasted sliced almonds."
- 5 take a siesta wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To be off one's guard. figuratively
"The regulators were caught napping by the financial collapse."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I may give up soon and just nap instead."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "nap"?
Common synonyms include: pile, snooze, blanket drill, break, cat nap, catch a wink.
How do you use "nap" in a sentence?
I may give up soon and just nap instead.
How do you pronounce "nap"?
Pronounced /næp/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English nappen, from Old English hnappian (“to doze, slumber, sleep”), from Proto-West Germanic *hnappōn (“to nap”). Cognate with Old High German hnaffezan, hnaffezzan (whence Middle High German nafzen (“to slumber”) whence German dialectal napfezen, nafzen (“to nod, slumber, nap”)).
Etymology 2
From Middle English nap, from the verb nappen.
Etymology 3
From late Middle English noppe, nappe, from Middle Dutch and Middle Low German noppe, noppen (“to trim the nap”), ultimately from knappen (“to eat, crack”), of imitative origin. Related to the first element of knapsack.
Etymology 4
From the name of the French emperor Napoleon I of France.
Etymology 5
Probably of North Germanic origin, from Old Swedish nappa (“to pluck, pinch”). Related to nab.
Etymology 6
From French napper, from nappe (“nape”).
Etymology 7
From Middle English nap (“a bowl”), from Old English hnæpp (“a cup, bowl”), from Proto-West Germanic *hnapp, from Proto-Germanic *hnappaz (“a cup, bowl”). Cognate with Dutch nap (“drinking cup”), Low German Napp (“bowl, cup”), German Napf (“bowl”), Icelandic hnappur (“button, key”). Doublet of hanap. See also nappy.