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
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 July 2026
Not a hotel to rest on its laurels, however, the ever-evolving offering at the Ciragan Palace ensures that repeat guests—and there are plenty of them—always have something new to discover.
—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
1 July 2026
Some of the color choices include eclipse, river and sea salt stripe, coconut and sandalwood stripe, laurel, dew, and sandalwood.
—
Terri Williams,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
In partnership with Van Cleef & Arpels in 1962, Jackie replaced the baguettes with 12 marquise- and round-cut diamonds arranged to form a laurel wreath beneath the larger stones.
—
Moises Mendez Ii,
InStyle,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for laurel
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Noun
As satisfying as that experience was, West didn’t rest on his laurels when brought back to the show decades later.
—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 July 2026
Not a hotel to rest on its laurels, however, the ever-evolving offering at the Ciragan Palace ensures that repeat guests—and there are plenty of them—always have something new to discover.
—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
1 July 2026
Some of the color choices include eclipse, river and sea salt stripe, coconut and sandalwood stripe, laurel, dew, and sandalwood.
—
Terri Williams,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
In partnership with Van Cleef & Arpels in 1962, Jackie replaced the baguettes with 12 marquise- and round-cut diamonds arranged to form a laurel wreath beneath the larger stones.
—
Moises Mendez Ii,
InStyle,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for laurel
Cite this Entry
“Laurel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laurel. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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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