rest on your laurels
/ˌrest ɒn jə ˈlɒrəlz/NEUTRAL · C1
Meaning
to stop trying because of past success
Examples
- 1The team won last year, but they can't rest on their laurels.
- 2After her first bestseller, the writer didn't rest on her laurels.
- 3The restaurant got a great review and then rested on its laurels, so the food slowly got worse.
- 4You passed the first exam, but don't rest on your laurels; the second one is much harder.
- 5Is the company resting on its laurels while younger rivals copy its best ideas?
Grammar
rest is regular: rested, resting. your changes to match the subject: my, its, their. Often in the negative: don't rest on your laurels.
More idioms about success
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →hit the jackpotto have a big success, usually through luckthe sky's the limitthere is no end to what you can achieveon a rollhaving one success after anotherback to square onehaving to start again because an attempt failedmake or breakto cause either complete success or complete failurebounce backto become successful again after a failure
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
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