cat nap
Quick light slumber
A cat nap is a short, light sleep taken during the day, typically lasting anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour.
The term evokes how cats doze frequently throughout the day rather than sleeping in one long stretch.
I grabbed a quick cat nap before the evening shift.
As a verb, to cat nap means to take such a brief rest.
The term suggests refreshment without deep sleep—a strategic pause rather than a proper rest.
Brief light rest
- snoozeLight brief sleep
- siestaMidday rest
- forty winksBrief informal nap
- shuteyeSlang for slumber
drowse · light sleep · microsleep · repose · slumber · nodding off
Restore energy or newness
- rechargeRestore electrical capacity
- energy boostIncrease in vigor
- mental resetDeliberate psychological refresh
- alertnessActive mental awareness
productivity boost · revitalize · second wind · pick-me-up · mental clarity · restoration
doze
Brief light rest
- snoozeLight brief sleep
- siestaMidday rest
- forty winksBrief informal nap
shuteye · drowse · light sleep · microsleep · repose · slumber · nodding off
refresh
Restore energy or newness
- rechargeRestore electrical capacity
- energy boostIncrease in vigor
- mental resetDeliberate psychological refresh
alertness · productivity boost · revitalize · second wind · pick-me-up · mental clarity · restoration
- animal expressionslet sleeping dogs lie, raining cats and dogs, horse sense, wild goose chase, chickens come home
- sleepsleep, sleeping, doze, slumber, snooze
- Animal Idiomsblind as a bat, brave as a lion, busy bee, copycat, dark horse
- napssiesta, snooze, doze, forty winks, snoozing
- downtimebreak, breaks, rest, relaxation, pauses
- catskitten, kitty, feline, tabby, calico
cat napdeep sleep
Unconsciousness hard to rouse
sleeping in · hibernation · oversleeping · lie-in · eight hours
cat napREM sleep
Dreaming stage with eye movement
restorative sleep · unconsciousness · dead sleep · deep sleep · dead to the world
cat napwakefulness
State of being conscious
alertness · insomnia · sleeplessness · all-nighter · high energy