Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use nap in a sentence

40 example sentences · verb, noun

Nap means to have a nap; to sleep for a short period of time, especially during the day. Example: “The regulators were caught napping by the financial collapse.”

Examples of nap by meaning

verbTo be off one's guard.

  • The regulators were caught napping by the financial collapse.

nounA soft or fuzzy surface, generally on fabric or leather.

  • There were low bookshelves, there was a thick pinkish Chinese rug in which a gopher could have spent a week without showing his nose above the nap.1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, Penguin, published 2011, page 37
  • If incorporated in automatic guidance, this practical pursuit adjustment will enhance pilot acceptance of automatic guidance in following nap-of-the-earth profiles with precision.1987, Some Data Processing Requirements for Precision Nap-Of-the-Earth (NOE) Guidance and Control of Rotorcraft

nounThe common direction, on some kinds of fabric, of the hairs making up the pile.

  • If the fabric has a nap, make sure all pieces are cut with the nap going the same direction.
  • As a result, the “nap” of the metal is turned in such a way that, when it meets the “nap” of the cylinder wall, both surfaces quickly develop a high finish which removes the danger of scoring a piston.1969, Classic Car, volumes 17-19, page 32

verbTo 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.2006, Wayne Gisslen, Mary Ellen Griffin, Professional Cooking for Canadian Chefs

More sentences with nap

  • The walk tuckered him out so much he had to take a nap.From the entry tucker out
  • Dad is taking a nap, so we're all being quiet.From the entry be
  • I didn't know I was interrupting his nap.From the entry interrupting
  • She is given to taking a nap in the afternoon.From the entry given to
  • The nap was a welcome refresher.From the entry refresher
  • Her voice sounded like she had just woken up from a nap.2024 July 30, Michael Alexander Rodriguez, The Last Days of Adrian Relyeh, AuthorHouse, →ISBN. From the entry boogen
  • The nap seems like a luxury, or even a sign of weakness, a regression into infantlike torpor.2018 December 1, Stephen Marche, “The $25 Nap Is Worth It”, in The New York Times, →ISSN. From the entry hypercapitalism
  • The 'cotton' was, in fact, a woollen fabric, one whose nap had been teased upwards or 'cottoned'.2015, Catherine Hall, Nicholas Draper, Keith McClelland, Emancipation and the Remaking of the British Imperial World, →ISBN. From the entry cotton
  • Don't listen to him, Aliyah, all boredom ever builds is naps."2015, Ferrett Steinmetz [pseudonym; William Steinmetz], “The First Fracture”, in The Flux, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire: Angry Robot…. From the entry daddy
  • After thirty minutes, I had the two howlers fed and settled down for naps.2013, Tyora Moody, Deep Fried Trouble. From the entry howler
  • Seriously, somebody needs to give this toddler a bottle and put him down for a nap.2011, Chris Haire, “I'm tired of writing about Nikki Haley”, in Charleston City Paper. From the entry hangry
  • Besides, no one wants to see Indiana take the big dirt nap like a commoner.2008 May 30, “Indiana Jones rides again in 'Crystal Skull'”, in Kennebeck Journal. From the entry dirt nap
  • He may as well have dug a 6-foot hole and settled in for a dirt nap.2008 June 6, Steve Campbell, “Astros' promising start withers on road”, in The Houston Chronicle. From the entry dirt nap
  • He feeds her, walks her, gives her treats, and she even takes an afternoon nap with him!2007, Ann Platz, Queen Esther's Reflection: A Portrait of Grace, Courage, and Excellence. From the entry platz
  • Exhausted, I canter through postpandrial naps atop a Senegalese camel, and in full beau geste.2006, Louise Mushikiwabo with Jack Kramer, Rwanda Means the Universe, St. Martins Press, page 143. From the entry belle sabreuse
  • "Took a disco nap around eight, then we cruised, drank, and had a lot of personal drama.'1997 December 8, Ian Spiegelman, “The End of the World Cafe”, in New York, volume 30, number 47, page 51. From the entry disco nap
  • Same blue serge dress she had two years ago, the nap bleaching.1922 February 2, James Joyce, Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC. From the entry wispish
  • "It's a nap you take before clubbing," I say.2023 April 4, Tony Correia, One Summer in Vancouver, Lorimer, →ISBN, page 108. From the entry disco nap
  • “Come on, you delicate flower, we just need to nap.2021, Alica McKenna-Johnson, The Unicorn's Scion. From the entry flower
  • The old men nap on couches, waiting for dessert.2020 February 10, David Brooks, “The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake”, in The Atlantic. From the entry extended family
  • Sometimes, it has to take place after your sub-drop or dom-drop rejuvenates first, probably after taking a nap.2020, Rysa Hollis, chapter 10, in Pleasure: BDSM Training, A practical Guide for the Dom and the Sub. From the entry dom-drop
  • Before his nap, Kaplan had put on all his clothes, including the wool-lined waterproof double-zippered survival suit nicknamed the zoot suit.2019, Ellin Bessner, Double Threat: Canadian Jews, the Military, and World War II. From the entry zoot suit
  • At night, some nap on their stretchers.2017 April 6, Samira Shackle, “On the frontline with Karachi’s ambulance drivers”, in the Guardian. From the entry paintwork
  • Two wet naps make for a pretty decent spit bath.2016, Creek Stewart, Survival Hacks: Over 200 Ways to Use Everyday Items for Wilderness Survival, →ISBN. From the entry spit bath
  • But before you take a nap, can you put this scroll back up on the shelf?" Arabelia asked.2014, Patricia Arnold, chapter 3, in Brooke and the Fairy Merry Christmas (The Magical Murphy Farm; 5), [s.l.]: Marquette Press. From the entry crickets
  • Eddie Brown was Saints’ hat-trick hero on this occasion, with Wally Ardron and Ted Bates completing the nap hand.2014, The Sports Pink, October 25, 2014, Newsquest, page 23. From the entry nap hand
  • Gawen guessed it was a daybed for naps.2013 May 6, Jane Yolen, Sword of the Rightful King: A Novel of King Arthur, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN. From the entry lambsfoot
  • The great thing was it gave him a little bit of freedom and me the chance to sneak a cheeky nap.2011, James Goss, Torchwood: First Born, Random House, →ISBN, page 20. From the entry cheeky
  • Mould was growing in the seams of his coat, and dust, like beggars' velvet, lay on the nap.2011, Chris Nickson, Broken Token. From the entry beggars' velvet
  • If your unnapped child is fairly civil, composed, and not too cranky at bed- time, he probably doesn't need naps anymore.2009, Michelle Nicholasen, Barbara O'Neal, I Brake for Meltdowns, page 100. From the entry unnapped
  • Mac is really feeling no pain, but she is lethargic and naps a couple of times a day.2007, John Breed, Bethany Breed Martin, Mac a Book of Hope, page 29. From the entry whelpy
  • But Berg was just a fool, a buffoon, a nonentity, a nonstarter so inept he took naps under bear bair.1999, Dana Stabenow, Hunter's Moon, →ISBN, page 225. From the entry nonstarter
  • It likes to take a nap on the low branches.1983, Ahlstrom, Mark E; Schroeder, Howard, The foxes, Mankato, MN: Crestwood House, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC. From the entry tree fox
  • "I'm going to take a much-needed nap—and it'll be all your life's worth to let me miss that train!"1907, B. M. Bower, chapter 7, in The Happy Family. From the entry all one's life's worth

Meaning of nap

  1. verb To have a nap; to sleep for a short period of time, especially during the day.
  2. verb To be off one's guard.
  3. noun A short period of sleep, especially one during the day.

Full definition of nap

Questions about nap in a sentence

How do you use nap in a sentence?
Nap is used as a verb and noun. For example: “The regulators were caught napping by the financial collapse.”
What is a short sentence with nap?
“The nap was a welcome refresher.”
What does nap mean?
Nap means to have a nap; to sleep for a short period of time, especially during the day.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: nap (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use nap in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/nap. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.