Library / English Dictionary

NAP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: napped    , napping   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A card game similar to whist; usually played for stakes

Synonyms:

nap; Napoleon

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("nap" is a kind of...):

card game; cards (a game played with playing cards)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Sleeping for a short period of time (usually not in bed)

Synonyms:

catnap; forty winks; light sleep; nap; short sleep; snooze

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("nap" is a kind of...):

sleeping (the suspension of consciousness and decrease in metabolic rate)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "nap"):

siesta (a nap in the early afternoon (especially in hot countries))

zizz (a nap)

Derivation:

nap (take a siesta)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The yarn (as in a rug or velvet or corduroy) that stands up from the weave

Example:

for uniform color and texture tailors cut velvet with the pile running the same direction

Synonyms:

nap; pile

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("nap" is a kind of...):

thread; yarn (a fine cord of twisted fibers (of cotton or silk or wool or nylon etc.) used in sewing and weaving)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A soft or fuzzy surface texture

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("nap" is a kind of...):

texture (the feel of a surface or a fabric)

Derivation:

nappy ((of hair) in small tight curls)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A period of time spent sleeping

Example:

there wasn't time for a nap

Synonyms:

nap; sleep

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Hypernyms ("nap" is a kind of...):

period; period of time; time period (an amount of time)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "nap"):

beauty sleep (sleep before midnight)

kip (sleep)

Derivation:

nap (take a siesta)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Take a siesta

Example:

She naps everyday after lunch for an hour

Synonyms:

catch a wink; catnap; nap

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "nap" is one way to...):

catch some Z's; kip; log Z's; sleep; slumber (be asleep)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "nap"):

doze; drowse; snooze (sleep lightly or for a short period of time)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

nap (sleeping for a short period of time (usually not in bed))

nap (a period of time spent sleeping)

Credits

 Context examples: 

“I have got a trifle of money somewhere about me, my dear,” said Mr. Barkis, “but I'm a little tired. If you and Mr. David will leave me for a short nap, I'll try and find it when I wake.”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

So they both went out upon the high road; but as the weather was warm, they had not gone far before the dog said, I am very much tired—I should like to take a nap.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

On the third night after Brunton’s disappearance, the nurse, finding her patient sleeping nicely, had dropped into a nap in the armchair, when she woke in the early morning to find the bed empty, the window open, and no signs of the invalid.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I slept only cat-naps.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

MiRNAs are viable biomarkers of sleep deprivation, psychological stress, and cognitive vulnerability in humans and can be used to identify individuals ahead of time who are in need of countermeasures or interventions such as caffeine or naps to mitigate or prevent impairments associated with insufficient sleep.

(Why Lack of Sleep Affects Some More Than Others, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Sleeping more than nine hours a night or having long daytime naps increases risk of stroke, according to a new study.

(Regular extended sleep increases risk of stroke, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

He’s napped it this time!

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Predictably, the more students sleep during the day, the greater the benefit of naps on many of these measures.

(Children Who Nap Are Happier, Have Higher IQ, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The moment Aunt March took her nap, or was busy with company, Jo hurried to this quiet place, and curling herself up in the easy chair, devoured poetry, romance, history, travels, and pictures like a regular bookworm.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Regular daytime nappers who slept for more than 90 minutes were 25% more likely to later have a stroke than people who napped for under half an hour.

(Regular extended sleep increases risk of stroke, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)