Illustration of laurel
- laurel 1
1
: an evergreen shrub or tree (Laurus nobilis of the family Lauraceae, the laurel family) of southern Europe with small yellow flowers, fruits that are ovoid blackish berries, and evergreen foliage once used by the ancient Greeks to crown victors in the Pythian games
called also bay, sweet bay
2
: a tree or shrub that resembles the true laurel
especially
: mountain laurel
3
a
: a crown of laurel awarded as an honor
b
: a recognition of achievement : honor
—usually used in plural
laureled or laurelled; laureling or laurelling
: to deck or crown with laurel
Examples of laurel in a Sentence
Noun
They enjoyed the laurels of their military victory.
The player earned his laurels from years of hard work.
Recent Examples on the Web
John Tamny, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
Many more of these moments would have rounded out Pagnol as a worthy sire beyond his literary laurels.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 20 May 2025
Liverpool may have had a late-season wobble but there’s no resting on laurels.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 20 May 2025
However, Chinese film industry representatives also warned that this was no time to rest on one’s laurels or be complacent, calling for creatives to focus on developing more homegrown content with broad appeal that can go beyond a single film.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laurel
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Noun
That’s because the work required to get to the top points to the kind of person who wouldn’t suddenly rest on laurels.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
Many more of these moments would have rounded out Pagnol as a worthy sire beyond his literary laurels.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 20 May 2025
Liverpool may have had a late-season wobble but there’s no resting on laurels.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 20 May 2025
However, Chinese film industry representatives also warned that this was no time to rest on one’s laurels or be complacent, calling for creatives to focus on developing more homegrown content with broad appeal that can go beyond a single film.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laurel
Cite this Entry
“Laurel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laurel. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationBiographical Definition
Laurel
biographical name
Lau·rel
ˈlȯr-əl 
ˈlär-
Stan 1890–1965 born Arthur Stanley Jefferson British comic actor in U.S.
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