laurel
noun
a small European evergreen tree, Laurus nobilis, of the laurel family, having dark, glossy green leaves.
laurel
1 American
[lawr-uhl, lor-]
/ ˈlɔr əl, ˈlɒr- /
noun
-
laurels
plural
-
Also called bay, sweet bay. a small European evergreen tree, Laurus nobilis, of the laurel family, having dark, glossy green leaves.
-
any tree of the genus Laurus.
-
any of various similar trees or shrubs, as the mountain laurel or the great rhododendron.
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the foliage of the laurel as an emblem of victory or distinction.
-
a branch or wreath of laurel foliage.
-
Usually laurels. honor won, as for achievement in a field or activity.
verb (used with object)
-
laurels,
present (3rd person singular)
-
laureled,
past participle, past
-
laurelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
laureling,
present participle
-
laurelling
present participle (especially British)
-
to adorn or wreathe with laurel.
-
to honor with marks of distinction.
idioms
-
rest on one's laurels, to be content with one's past or present honors, achievements, etc..
He retired at the peak of his career and is resting on his laurels.
-
look to one's laurels, to be alert to the possibility of being excelled or surpassed.
New developments in the industry are forcing long-established firms to look to their laurels.
Laurel
2
American
[lawr-uhl, lor-]
/ ˈlɔr əl, ˈlɒr- /
noun
-
Stan Arthur Stanley Jefferson, 1890–1965, U.S. motion-picture actor and comedian, born in England.
-
a city in SE Mississippi.
-
a town in central Maryland.
-
a female given name.
laurel
British
/ ˈlɒrəl /
noun
-
Also called: bay, true laurel. any lauraceous tree of the genus Laurus , such as the bay tree (see bay4 ) and L. canariensis , of the Canary Islands and Azores
-
any lauraceous plant
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short for cherry laurel mountain laurel
-
a European thymelaeaceous evergreen shrub, Daphne laureola, with glossy leaves and small green flowers
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an evergreen cornaceous shrub, Aucuba japonica, of S and SE Asia, the female of which has yellow-spotted leaves
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(plural) a wreath of true laurel, worn on the head as an emblem of victory or honour in classical times
-
(plural) honour, distinction, or fame
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to be on guard against one's rivals
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to be satisfied with distinction won by past achievements and cease to strive for further achievements
verb
laurel
More Idioms
Usage
What does laurel mean? A laurel is a type of tree with dark, glossy green leaves. In Ancient Greece and Rome, laurel leaves were used to make wreaths that were worn on a person’s head to symbolize victory—like that leaf crown that Caesar is always wearing in statues. Today, we use the word laurels to mean honors. When used this way, it is almost always plural. Example: After a 50-year career, I have many laurels, but I’m most proud of my beautiful family.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
laurelsimple
-
laurelssimple
-
have laureledperfect
-
have laurelledperfect
-
has laureledperfect
-
has laurelledperfect
-
am laurelingprogressive
-
am laurellingprogressive
-
are laurelingprogressive
-
are laurellingprogressive
-
is laurelingprogressive
-
is laurellingprogressive
-
have been laurelingperfect progressive
-
have been laurellingperfect progressive
-
has been laurelingperfect progressive
-
has been laurellingperfect progressive
Past
-
laureledsimple
-
laurelledsimple
-
had laureledperfect
-
had laurelledperfect
-
was laurelingprogressive
-
was laurellingprogressive
-
were laurelingprogressive
-
were laurellingprogressive
-
had been laurelingperfect progressive
-
had been laurellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of laurel
1250–1300; dissimilated variant of Middle English laurer, earlier lorer < Anglo-French; Old French lorier bay tree, equivalent to lor bay, laurel (< Latin laurus ) + -ier -ier 2; see -er 2
Explanation
A laurel is a wreath worn on the head, usually as a symbol of victory. If you see an image of Julius Caesar, chances are he's wearing a laurel. A laurel is a type of wreath — circular, made from leaves and branches — worn on the head in ancient times. The laurel is a symbol of victory that lives on in the phrase "Resting on one's laurels." When you rest on your laurels, you're happy with previous successes but not doing much to continue succeeding. You've gotten lazy and complacent.
Vocabulary lists containing laurel
"The Odyssey," Vocabulary from Part 1 of the epic poem
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Quiz yourself on these words spoken by the man at the center of the "Laurel" / "Yanny" craze!
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"To an Athlete Dying Young" by A. E. Housman
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The soldiers are shadowed by an allegorical figure carrying poppies, symbolizing sleep—an analog, in the art of the time, for death—and a laurel branch symbolizing peace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
At the center, resting on a plinth in front of a shallow niche and beneath a graceful valance of laurel, is French’s striking bronze portrait bust of Hunt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
Michelle O'Neill attended the event and laid a laurel wreath at the Cenotaph at Belfast City Hall in her role as first minister for the second year in a row.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2025
In July 2022, Michelle O'Neill laid a laurel wreath at the Belfast Cenotaph to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2024
To their right, or my left, was the laurel oak tree.
From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor
"We don't want to export it to countries that could use Philippine ube varieties to compete with us," Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said last month while revealing the ban on raw ube exports.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Reviews at the time were mixed, partly due to critics’ high expectations and the Eagles’ spectacular rise, which rendered the Laurel Canyon folk-rock sound dated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
“That’s about earning; what’s not part of that equation is wealth and accumulation,” said Laurel Taylor, founder and CEO of Candidly.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
“Just to be clear, Nanette. You think Laurel and I should leave, and you should give Mom these.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
While at the Job Corps Center, Wes had felt his problems floating off in the soft country air of Laurel.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
But that should not mean resting on our laurels or on the golf cart if a friend or acquaintance reaches out for help.
From MarketWatch ● May 29, 2026
However, the New Zealander, who is yet to taste defeat since taking up the role in late 2023, is not one to rest on his laurels.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
Unfortunately, we’ve been drifting for a little while on our laurels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
Through a proprietary mixture of light nostalgia baiting and ever-present curiosity, Gellar has achieved a rare type of icon status — a superstar who owns her legacy, but isn’t willing to rest on her laurels.
From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2026
But she had no intention of resting on her laurels.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
The more poignant question may be: When does the writing of a laureled outsider drown out the literary voices of the people being discussed?
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2023
The production, a laureled British import, viscerally reinvented a seldom revived 20th century tragedy for our time.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2018
Both were Nobel laureates, and if prizes are a yardstick of literary achievement, then they were joined in death by a veritable legion of the laureled.
From New York Times ● Dec. 30, 2014
As much as Sarris yearned to canonize Samuel Fuller and Nicholas Ray, he also needed to cauterize the work of directors laureled by front-line movie reviewers.
From Time ● Jun. 21, 2012
She found the slender golden chain that hung about her neck and opened the little black locket with its circlet of laureled pearls.
From The Valiants of Virginia by Hallie Erminie Rives
Walt Disney himself, laurelled by the White House as the “Creator of an American Folklore,” claimed the mantle of innocence, describing Mickey as “Youth, the Great Unlicked and Uncontaminated.”
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 3, 2019
The most laurelled of black composers, Ellington was honored on his 70th birthday with a dinner and jam session at the White House.
From Time ● Oct. 24, 2011
The house, the laurelled drive, the little road, the distant moor and wood—these things had to-night a gentle air.
From The Prelude to Adventure by Sir Hugh Walpole
He lay for a few seconds where he had dropped; then, with a great effort to get his breath, he rose and went quickly up the laurelled walks towards the house.
From In the Mayor's Parlour by J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher
In my copy of Johnson's Lives Congreve's wig is the tallest, and put on with the jauntiest air of all the laurelled worthies.
From Henry Esmond; The English Humourists; The Four Georges by George Saintsbury
Smith's continuous stream of productivity, her topical range, the accolades laureling her books, her prodigious artistic abilities, should be evidence enough to assuage her fears about credibility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2018
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
