Meaning
To be satisfied with what you have already achieved and stop putting in further effort. It is nearly always used as a warning or criticism, most often in the negative ('don't rest on your laurels'), because coasting on past success is viewed as complacency. The companion phrase 'look to your laurels' is a warning that a rival is gaining on you. Almost always cautionary or critical, most often in the negative, rather than a neutral description of well-earned retirement. Regional use: General English.
Origin
The laurel tree was the classical emblem of victory and distinction: Greeks crowned victors of the Pythian games at Delphi, held in honour of Apollo, and Rome adopted the wreath for triumphant commanders, a legacy visible in 'poet laureate'. The English idiom is far younger than its imagery. Etymonline records 'rest on one's laurels' by 1831, noting it originally appeared as 'repose' on one's laurels. Merriam-Webster adds that figuratively settling on one's laurels once suggested honourable, earned retirement, and that the phrase only later acquired its modern cautionary tone; it also documents 'look to your laurels' as a British relative and less common collocations such as reaping, winning, or retiring on one's laurels.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- reap one's laurels
- repose on one's laurels
- retire on one's laurels
- sit on one's laurels
Usage Examples
- After clinching the division title, the coach warned the players not to rest on their laurels before the playoffs.
- The publisher rested on its laurels for a decade while younger firms rebuilt the market around it.
- You have earned the promotion, but do not rest on your laurels - the next performance review is only six months away.