lullaby
Americannoun
plural
lullabies-
a song used to lull a child to sleep; cradlesong.
-
any lulling song.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a quiet song to lull a child to sleep
-
the music for such a song
verb
Etymology
Origin of lullaby
1550–60; equivalent to lulla, lulla ( y ), interjection used in cradlesongs ( late Middle English lullai, lulli ) + -by, as in bye-bye
Explanation
If anyone has ever sung a song to you before bedtime, trying to lull you to sleep, you can call that song a lullaby. Lullabies are usually soft and soothing tunes — more like "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" than AC/DC's "Back in Black." Many lullabies are folk tunes, and most of them are simple melodies with repetitive lyrics. You might be familiar with lullabies like "Hush, Little Baby," "Rockabye Baby," and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," all of which have been sung for generations to sleepy children by their parents, grandparents, and babysitters. The word lullaby comes from the Middle English lullen, "to lull or soothe," and bye, as in "bye bye."
Vocabulary lists containing lullaby
Brown Girl Dreaming
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Abbey Road
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for June 3–June 9, 2023
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A second self-defined expert recommended placing towels in the infant's cot - a practice The Lullaby Trust, a baby safety charity, says also increases the risk of Sids and "accidental death".
From BBC • May 5, 2026
Appeared in the December 6, 2025, print edition as 'A Young Mother’s Transcendent Lullaby'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
The band themselves also appeared in good spirits, exchanging smiles, with Smith playfully dancing around during the encore that included Close To Me and Lullaby.
From BBC • Nov. 1, 2024
And then its voice gives way to the haunting refrains of “A Lullaby of Cannons for the Night,” a ’60s song about central Vietnam by Trinh Cong Son, the South Vietnamese songwriter.
From New York Times • Jun. 16, 2023
Fairy chains shall keep her still, Fairy wand ward off all ill, Gnat or fly shall not come nigh, Lullaby, oh, lullaby!
From Little Folks (Septemeber 1884) A Magazine for the Young by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
