Jump to:

Let sleeping dogs lie

Let sleeping dogs lie

Do not stir up a problem that has lain quiet for some time.
let sleeping dogs lie

let sleeping dogs lie

Allow inactive problems to remain so, as in Jane knew she should report the accident but decided to let sleeping dogs lie. This injunction to avoid stirring up trouble was already a proverb in the 13th century. It alludes to waking up a fierce watchdog and has been stated in English since the late 1300s.

Let sleeping dogs lie

Cultural

let sleeping dogs lie Idioms

Allow inactive problems to remain so, as in Jane knew she should report the accident but decided to let sleeping dogs lie. This injunction to avoid stirring up trouble was already a proverb in the 13th century. It alludes to waking up a fierce watchdog and has been stated in English since the late 1300s.

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.

Maybe sometimes we should let sleeping dogs lie.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

Is that the best course of action, or should I let sleeping dogs lie?

From Washington Post • Jun. 7, 2022

“Everyone else knows that you let sleeping dogs lie, particularly in the case of the S.E.C.”

From New York Times • Oct. 4, 2018

Should I let sleeping dogs lie, or make an effort to find the man in question?

From Slate • Jun. 23, 2014

I was afraid he might have chosen to let sleeping dogs lie.

From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023