let a sleeping dog lie

A form of let sleeping dogs lie — To leave things as they are; especially, to avoid restarting or rekindling an old argument; to leave disagreements in the past.

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Meanings

verblet a sleeping dog lie (third-person singular simple present lets a sleeping dog lie, present participle letting a sleeping dog lie, simple past and past participle let a sleeping dog lie)

present singular third person lets a sleeping dog lie · participle present letting a sleeping dog lie

  1. alternativeidiomaticAlternative form of let sleeping dogs lie.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
let it be
Cite this entry
APA

let a sleeping dog lie. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/let%20a%20sleeping%20dog%20lie

MLA

“let a sleeping dog lie.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/let%20a%20sleeping%20dog%20lie. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “let a sleeping dog lie,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/let%20a%20sleeping%20dog%20lie.

Source: let a sleeping dog lie on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.